Star Academy (SYOC)
by Rasa the North Wind
Summary: In a world filled with creatures of endless capabilities, schools all around the world have been established for the world's youth to meet and interact with each other and these creatures, called Pokemon, while also aspiring towards their dream careers. This story is about a young boy, Alex, and his time at Star Academy. Discontinued until further notice.
1. Prologue

**Welcome one and all to Star Academy! Now, this is a reboot of my original story, "Pokemon Academy: A New Dawn" and its sequel "Pokemon Academy: Power of Chaos." For those of you who never read either of those two, you won't need to, to understand this story. This is an SYOC (of course), so be sure to submit your characters if you'd like to. The rules and form can be found on my profile. For those of you who had a character in my previous story, you may re-submit them or submit a new character or not submit at all if you just want to read. Whichever is fine. Now, let's get into the prologue of this reboot! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its characters.**

**Prologue:**

"Charizard, use Flame Burst!"

The large orange dragon-like beast spat a small shot of fire from his mouth, which exploded on contact with the opposing four-winged bat, causing it to fall to the mossy ground below them.

"Oh no, Crobat!" a young woman with violet hair, matching her Pokemon's skin color, exclaimed as she pressed her creamy palms against the sides of her pale face. Her large, round eyes, which matched her ponytailed hair, close shut from frustration, but soon reopened with a glint of acceptance sparkling in them. "Well, a match is a match and you managed to outmaneuver my overwhelming ninja tactics!" She held her ring and pinky fingers with her thumbs and lifted one hand to her chest while the other pressed against her forehead to prove her point.

Charizard descended as a young teenager stepped onto the shrub-infested field, feeling his battered shoes dig into the soft mud underneath. He lifted a slightly tanned hand to pet Charizard behind his ear and shot a cheery smile at the girl. His light emerald eyes were lit with a youthful vitality as he continued his approach towards her and responded, "Thanks, Janine! After losing our last battle, I went through a lot of training. Looks like it paid off!"

His red and white sneakers parted the mud underneath them with each step he took towards them, but he was too excited to care for the cleanliness of material objects.

Janine took a second to observe the fourteen-year old in front of her. His short spiked brown hair and rosy cheeks attributed to his young demeanor. His outfit was rather common for people in Kanto, consisting of a red flannel left open over a plain white shirt and a pair of light baggy blue jeans. Despite being so young, he already surpassed her in height, enough for his eyes to be aimed downwards.

Janine reached into one of her gi's pockets and pulled out a pink heart-shaped badge and presented it to her victorious opponent. "Here you go, the Soul Badge. You deserve it, Alex!"

The brunette's grin tripled in size as Janine dropped the proof of victory into his hands. Alex's Charizard approached the duo and the boy quickly turned to give his companion a hug, wrapping an arm around his long neck.

"Alright, we did it! We did it!" he cheered. The orange dragon celebrated along with his owner, releasing a puff of embers into the air.

"You know, Alex," Janine said, interrupting his revelry and capturing his attention, "I think you'd do well at Star Academy. That's the school I graduated from a couple years ago. My dad had me go there to hone my skills and other than you, I haven't lost a single battle since I took up this gym leader position."

The side of Alex's lips tugged as he skeptically responded, "Thanks, but to be honest, I'm trying to become champion as fast as possible." He casually placed his hands behind his head and added, "I'd rather not waste time sitting in a classroom, you know?"

Janine nodded, "Yes, I understand, but perhaps taking your time will prevent you from wasting your time."

Alex scratched the back of his head with a clueless look on his face and responded, "That makes no sense." He reached into his pocket and his hand emerged with a spherical device. The top hemisphere was cherry red in color while the bottom was marble white. A black ring cut the device in half with a round silver button in the center. Alex aimed the Poke Ball at his orange companion and a red beam shot out from the silver button. Upon connecting with the scaly beast, he was converted into energy and pulled into the device.

The brunette then rushed out of the gym and called back, "Thanks for the badge!"

As the sliding doors at the front of the building parted, he felt an iron wall preventing his advancement as well as knocking him down onto his backside.

"Who put that wall there?" he asked himself while rubbing his head. Emerald orbs floated up to find not an iron wall, but a behemoth of a young man standing with his hands in his pockets. This giant had to have been at least six feet tall with bulky arms and chest which suffocated in his black T-shirt. His tan cargo shorts revealed just as muscular legs coated in a light tan. The finishing touch to his outfit was a pair of silver dog tags which were draped over his neck.

"Who you calling a wall, Scrawny?" Discriminating chocolate eyes glared down at the brunette, accompanied by a clenched jaw.

Alex stood up and gave the behemoth a goofy grin, "Sorry about that, big guy."

The older boy aggressively pushed past him and simply said, "Watch where you're going, punk."

Alex watched the back of his black-haired head and yelled, "Hey! I said I was sorry, douchebag!"

He stopped with a thunderous step, causing the brunette to flinch. "Maybe if you weren't running back to the Pokemon Center to recover from your defeat, you wouldn't have anything to apologize for."

Alex snickered, "Defeat? Wrong!" He quickly pulled out his wallet and opened it to reveal the four badges tacked onto its fold. "I just won the Soul Badge so you better talk to me with more respect."

The behemoth turned around with a confident grin and responded, "Well then, I'll just have to prove my statement right."

The ends of Alex's lips tugged as his excitement levels increased. "Are you challenging me to a battle?"

"It'll be a good warm-up so I can see how easy this gym leader will be."

"You won't even make it to her."

"Let's take this outside then?"

"Let's."

* * *

The adolescents stood on opposite ends of the Fuchsia City Park just across the street from the gym. The temperature outside was a little warm, courtesy of the sun plastered against the bright blue background. Not a cloud was in sight. People and cars passed by and children frolicked on the playground. A myriad of noises filled Alex and the behemoth's ears – some of them included the creaking emitted from the swing set every time a child hovered over the warm sand, the subtle humming of the car engines passing by, and the cooing of Pidgey, accepting offerings from the fragile senior citizens.

"So, big fellah, I never got your name."

"Doesn't matter."

"Well whatever. My name's Alex. That way, you'll know the name of the guy who beat you today."

"For a little guy, you sure have a big mouth."

Alex stomped wildly and shouted, "I'm not even little! You're just a giant!"

The behemoth smirked, "Fair enough." He reached down for the gray and black belt holstering his Poke Balls. He unclipped one and pressed the silver button to enlarge it. Alex followed suit and the two called out their first Pokemon.

Alex called out, "Pidgeotto, you're up!"

"Let's annihilate them, Fearow!"

The two bird Pokemon flapped their mighty wings to stay afloat above the makeshift battlefield. Both had a dark brown plumage but Alex's had a cream-colored underbelly, a pale red mane, and bright red and yellow tail feathers. Fearow had red spikes atop his head and a long, sharp beak.

"Pidgeotto, let's start things off with a Gust!"

The female bird cried in compliance and began flapping her wings to conjure a small tornado, whirling sand from the field below.

The behemoth scoffed, "Pathetic! Fearow, Drill Peck!" The avian Pokemon brought his wings together and began spinning, transforming himself into a drill. He flew towards Pidgeotto, piercing both Gust and his opponent.

"Pidgeotto!" she cried in agony as she fell out of the air and landed on the ground.

"Pidgeotto!" Upon further examination, Alex found that her eyes were closed indicating that she was unconscious. The crimson beam retrieved Pidgeotto, allowing Alex to make his next choice. "Let's go, Pikachu!"

A small yellow mouse with red circular cheek pouches, brown stripes on his back, and a lightning-bolt-shaped tail appeared on the ground before Alex.

"Pika! Pikachu!" he called confidently.

"Hit him with an Electro Ball!"

A sphere of electrical energy formed on the tip of the electric-type's tail as he spun around and swung his tail to launch the projectile.

"Take a dive!" Fearow closed his wings, allowing for a quick descent. As he approached the ground, his owner shouted the command, "Drill Run!" Once again, Fearow began spinning, utilizing his beak as a drill, but this time, the sand beneath gathered around, creating a rotating lance of minerals. The flying-type made contact with Pikachu, knocking him out as well.

"Cha!" the mouse cried as he fell onto his stomach.

"Pikachu, no!"

"I guess the gym leader won't be much of a challenge then."

"I've still got one more Pokemon! My strongest one! Go Charizard!" Alex's most trusted companion landed with a loud thud, tossing dust into the air around him. He expanded his navy wings as a means of intimidation and released a powerful roar accompanied by a puff of embers.

"That's not saying much," chastised the opponent.

Alex grit his teeth so hard, his annual dentist's appointment was on the verge of being moved up. "Charizard, Dragon Rage!" The fire-type Pokemon released a dark blue stream of draconic energy, but Fearow dodge it with ease.

"Drill Peck!"

Alex allowed the avian to approach and waited until the right time to call out, "Use Flame Burst!"

"Dodge!" Fearow kept to the side, but upon hitting the ground, Flame Burst exploded and his wing was hit by stray residue.

"Follow up with Fire Fang!" Charizard bit down Fearow's other wing with a mouth full of fire, causing the bird to squawk frantically until he passed out from the pain.

"Didn't I tell you Charizard was my strongest?" Alex taunted.

The behemoth simply scoffed again as he recalled Fearow and brought out his second Pokemon. "Finish this, Kabutops!" A bipedal arthropod with a rock-layered exoskeleton and sharp scythe-like claws appeared. He confidently sharpened his blade, sending a threat message to Charizard who merely spat a sliver of fire onto the field and crushed it with his powerful foot in response.

"Kabutops, Aqua Jet!" Surrounding himself in water, the rock/water-type dashed across the field and rammed right into Charizard. The scaly beast was thrown back, but his prideful nature kept him from succumbing to the pain of the super-effective attack so easily.

"Awesome, Charizard! Now use Dragon Rage!" He unleashed another stream of draconic energy but Kabutops easily dodged it and countered with another Aqua Jet, knocking the fire/flying-type upside the head. Charizard fell onto his back. When his head met the floor, it was clear that Alex had lost. The brunette crouched down to check on his partner who was completely out cold.

The behemoth recalled Kabutops and chortled, "For all that big talk, you were a big disappointment. Of course, you don't get to graduate from Star Academy by being a pushover," he boasted. Emerald spheres dilated upon hearing his claim. As the older boy turned to walk away, he stopped and said, "By the way, the name's Chayton. Just thought you'd like to know the name of the guy who beat you today," he mocked. He completed his turn and walked in the direction of the gym, overconfidence apparent in his refusal to heal his injured Pokemon.

Watching the behemoth walk away, Alex told Charizard, "Guess Janine was right, buddy…we might have to get some training after all." Alex knew that the fire/flying-type most likely could not hear what he said, but speaking it, brought the thought out making it more real.

* * *

An elderly man with graying brown hair sat behind his desk, scrolling through the information on his computer screen while sipping from a mug filled to the brim with scalding coffee. He chuckled to himself after reading an article about how Diglet and Dugtrio have feet and took drink of the dark liquid. As strange as it was, he never did like his coffee with milk, preferring the powerfully bitter taste.

His appearance was that of a scientist, indicated primarily by the white lab coat adorned over his lavender dress shirt and khakis.

"Professor Oak!" The sudden shout coupled with the slamming of the laboratory's front door, alarmed the graying man, ultimately leaving his shirt and pants dowsed by the scorching liquid. He immediately sprang up from his chair and without thinking of the context he was in, unzipped his pants to throw them on the ground.

Realizing that someone else was in his lab, the professor's dark eyes locked onto the young brunette standing at the entrance to his laboratory.

Alex covered his eyes, "I'm guessing this is a bad time!"

"Only because you made it one!" scolded Professor Oak.

"Didn't my dad tell you to stop drinking coffee? The stuff's bad for you!"

Oak grumbled before stating, "Just wait outside! I have to go change."

"Isn't your house next door?"

"I always keep a spare set of clothes in the closet inside the break room. Now go outside! I'll only be a minute." After getting dressed, Professor Oak opened the front door for Alex to come in. "Now what can I do for you, Alex?"

"I want to go to Star Academy!" Alex was not one to dance around a topic. He had to make his point across as quickly as possible.

"Star Academy? Hmm…" The professor scratched his cleanly shaved chin in ponder before responding, "I didn't take you for the academic type, Alex."

"I heard that trainers my age go there to get stronger and I need to get stronger if I'm going to defeat the Pokemon League."

"I see. How many badges have you acquired?"

"Four." Alex pulled out his wallet and handed it to the professor so he could examine his spoils.

"Mhm. The Cascade Badge, Thunder Badge, Rainbow Badge, and Soul Badge. Very impressive for someone who's only been a trainer for a few months."

"Yeah, I challenged Brock for the Boulder badge but my team can't do anything against his. Next up was the Saffron Badge but after I beat Janine, this jerk who graduated from Star Academy beat me in a battle without breaking a sweat. If he got that strong from going there, then I can get even stronger than him!" Alex chanted, more to motivate himself than to convince the professor.

"Well, I see your point. You're dad has always been a fantastic assistant and your drive is very inspiring so tell you what? I'm actually good friends with the headmaster, Professor Cedar. I'll get started on a letter of recommendation and I'll contact you as soon as I get a response from him. I advise you to stay at home until then."

Alex beamed with exhilaration, "Thanks so much, Professor!" He held his fist up as a sign of confidence and excitement. "I promise you that you won't regret taking a chance on me!"

* * *

Days went by and Alex did not leave the house phone's company. He watched it all day, slept with it in his grasp all night, and even took it with him into the bathroom. He'd even go as far as growling whenever his parents tried to use the phone, earning him thorough scolding but because they understood the vitality of the situation, they humored him by using the neighbors' phone. Alex was lucky that his sisters were too young to even need the phone. What would they talk to their classmates about? Creating alliances during the kickball games?

The day of the call, Alex was sitting on the couch, flipping between channels on the television – the phone rested comfortably on his lap. He wore a pair of black basketball shorts and a plain white T-shirt and his skin was unusually light from having sheltered himself from sunlight.

His mother passed by dressed in her work uniform – a navy blue skirt and blazer with golden buttons. She worked as an attendant on the S.S. Anne and would be away for a few days. The brunette woman had long tresses which flowed down to her mid-back and bright green eyes, but unlike Alex's, hers were a softer hue, appearing jade. She had creamy light skin coating her body and a round face, however she was by no means plump. She was actually very thin and in her work heels, stood at her son's height of five feet and seven inches.

The rushed woman began sifting through the fridge to make sure there was enough food for her husband to cook for their children during her absence. She called out to her son as she grabbed her luggage, "I'm going off to work, sweetie!" Alex leaned forward and stood up to give his mother a hug and kiss on the cheek to send her on her way. She instructed, "Make sure Annie and Ariel do their homework when they get home from school, okay? And tell you dad that there's tomato sauce and pasta in the cabinets for him to make spaghetti tonight."

"Alright, mom. Be safe." The brunette woman could not help but smile from her son's concern.

"Bye, Alex." As she began walking away, the emerald-eyed boy closed the door behind him and plopped down onto the couch. During the middle of a show about video-reels, the phone chirped cheerily. It was a heavenly noise, one that left Alex in a state of temporary paralysis. He'd been expecting this call for days, desperately hoping for it to come, but not once did he think about what would happen when it did. He felt his body tremble from fear of rejection, or worse, of hearing that perhaps the professor did not even try.

On the fourth ring, Alex swiftly reached for the phone and lifted it, to prevent the opportunity from slipping away. He allowed the onyx device to hover over its charger before finally pressing it to his ear and croaking, "H-hello?"

"Ah, Alex!" a voice he recognized as Professor Oak's greeted.

"Hey, Professor Oak."

"I emailed Professor Cedar the day you visited my office, telling him that you would like to attend and he responded last night."

_Last night?! Why didn't you call me last night, you old fart?!_ Alex chastised in his head. But instead, his response was calm, "What did he say?"

"Alex…" No. Professor Oak was purposely pausing to drive Alex insane. It was probably payback for the coffee incident. "Pack your bags because you've been accepted!"

"Are you serious?!" Alex shouted, a little too loud for Oak's withering eardrums, but he did not care because of how excited he was. Sure, a week ago, school was something he was glad to be over with, but the drive to sharpen his skills as a trainer gave him a new perspective.

Oak chuckled, "Yes, because I helped fund his research on 'Special Evolution,' he was more than willing to take in a trainer that I vouched for."

"Thank you so much, Professor! This is great! No! This is awesome! No! There isn't a word to describe how amazing this is!"

"Of course, I'm glad to help a young trainer. Now Alex, remember, because you are going on my word, you are representing me during your time at the academy so I expect you to be on your best behavior."

"Don't worry, Professor, you can count on me!" Oak could not see Alex, but he could picture the brunette giving him one of his signature goofy grins.

"I'm sure I can. You should tell your parents the great new. And don't worry, Professor Cedar and I are both covering a portion of your total expenses so your parents will really only have to pay for the meal plan. He told me that the admissions office will send you an email entailing the expenses as well as a student handbook which you can read for the rules, procedures, and information about the school's classes and buildings and you'll be on your way to Star Academy in September. Be sure to tell Professor Cedar I said hello."

Alex smiled, "It's the least I can do!"

**Woo! I know that this was kind of a long prologue but that only tells you how long the actual chapters are going to be so let me know how you feel about long chapters (~6-7K words). It's long to me because I used to do 2K chapters and slowly but steadily bumped up as I continued writing.**

**For those of you who read A New Dawn and Power of Chaos, what do you think of Alex as of right now and do you feel he is different from before or the same? Let me know in the reviews! Also, remember to submit in those OCs because we're starting off with a clean slate. In one week's time, I will have made my choices.**


	2. Arrival in Star Academy

**How's it going, people?! I hope you're all enjoying Mother's Day. It's currently 4 in the morning for me and I've been working on this all week so I wanted to get this out because I wouldn't get a chance later. I am very pleased with the turnout for this SYOC and appreciate everyone who submitted a character and followed the rules and guidelines I set. Now let's respond to a few reviews.**

**Shinymudkip25: no, I don't know. You'll have to explain what you mean by weird vibe.**

**emosewa-13: Yeah, most people would know what the Pokemon look like, but I guess I do it more for aesthetic purposes. I'll try to cut down on that and I think I did cut down in this chapter.**

**Saiko Yonobashi: It's not Mega Evolution. It's nothing really big to us and I'd say it here but I really don't see a point in doing so when you'll find out pretty soon.**

**Alright, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

**Chapter 1: Arrival in Star Academy  
**

Jubilife City was filled with the honking of cars as they traversed the asphalt conveyer belt many called a street. These conveyer belts intersected hundreds of times throughout the city, separating the towering buildings that gently poked the troposphere. Pedestrians walked along the cement streets, all with a destination in mind, most unaware of the contest taking place in the center of the city – well the one coming to a conclusion.

The four contestants stood side-by-side on the bright neon stage with their Pokemon before them, all eight giving their largest, most genuine smiles for the judges and audience.

The one standing to the far left of the stage was a girl – no older than fourteen. Sweat trickled down her olive skin as her hazel eyes peered through her thin eyelids and found themselves lost in a sea of people shielded by the stage lights that she stood under. Her long chocolate brown hair was tied into a ponytail while a pair of curled locks framed her face – the tips died a golden blonde.

She wore her navy blue contest dress which came down to her knees and had a teal sash wrapped around her waist with a bow resting against the small of her back and the remaining lengths cascading down until they were centimeters above the floor. Her heels screamed in soreness as they were lifted on teal pedestals that sheathed the rest of her feet and despite the aching, she stood up straight with her shoulders back, chest out, and one foot in front of the other. Even with fatigue, a coordinator had to appear presentable.

The other three contestants were like the many coordinators she had met while on her journey across the Sinnoh Region, whom which she would eventually forget. Sure, she would remember competing against them, but their names and faces would escape her memory. They were merely nicely dressed and well-groomed people who she was sure would forget her as well. She had faced many like them and would face many more if Arceus allowed it.

Before her stood a small hippopotamus Pokemon with sandy skin that was darker in some areas and lighter in others. His legs felt like jelly as they quivered underneath him, fighting to keep him up after multiple rounds of performing his arsenal of moves with as much precision and enthusiasm that he could employ. Like his coordinator, he too would most likely forget the Croagunk, Nosepass, and Snover that stood to his left.

Down below sat the three judges that would decide who would walk away with a contest ribbon. The contestants stood patiently as they conversed and became more rigid when the trio looked their way. The elderly gentleman in the center spoke into his microphone and said, "We have reached our decision. The winner of today's contest is…" The long, dramatic response was mostly for the people sitting on a sofa behind the cameras' lenses but damn, was it killing the contestants. "Kari Tomiyama!"

The girl and her Hippopotas' faces lit from the realization of their victory and she immediately ran towards him, surprising the little ground-type by picking him up from behind.

"We did it, Hippopotas!" she cheered with a squeak, almost too choked up to even speak. Kari could feel the defeat, disappointment, and jealousy oozing from behind her, but she didn't care. She just won a Pokemon contest and earned her first ribbon with Hippopotas since he was hatched.

As her defeated competitors left the stage, the elderly judge from before approached her and offered her a dark wooden box. Once he opened it, hazel eyes fixated onto the small orange ribbon lying comfortably on the velvet inside. She picked the symbol of victory up and held it up to Hippopotas, telling him that this was his victory just as much as it was hers. The roar of cheering slammed against her eardrums but it sounded distant as her mind focused on her accomplishment.

Kari had changed out of her contest dress and was now wearing her casual outfit: a long sleeve dark green cowl neck sweater, a pair of black tights, and her favorite pair of brown hiking boots. A cream-colored bead bracelet claimed her left wrist and snow flake-shaped earrings were tacked onto her earlobes. It had taken her some time but she undid her hair, leaving it in a simple fishtail braided ponytail that fell over her shoulder.

As she exited the changing room, she was assaulted by a large hug from both her parents. Her father was a tall, lanky man and her mother was very short, even more so than her, with plump cheeks. They both adorned weary eyes that spoke on behalf of the hard work they did to support their daughter.

"We're so proud of you!" her mother said excitedly, joy flushing through her heart.

"Didn't I tell you that those poffins would improve Hippopotas' performance?" her father said, adding to his ego.

Kari chuckled, "Oh how the Steel Chef is always right when it comes to food." He rubbed his nose proudly with one finger. Suddenly, an orange monkey leapt into her arms and she shouted with glee, "Chimchar!" The fire-type climbed onto her should and she rubbed the side of his face with her palm. "I'm sorry I didn't use you in this contest." Chimchar merely nodded and cried his name which she took as forgiveness.

She then looked past her parents to find her father's best friend from the army and his lovely family. The head of the household was a stout bald man with a rugged goatee warming his face. His wife, who stood at the same height as him, was an angel. She had long dark hair that fell in gentle waves and bright ruby eyes framed by her light skin. On either side of them were their two sons. One was the same age as Kari and the other four years younger than both of them. Both brothers shared their mothers crimson eyes and dark hair but were coated in their father's slightly tanned skin.

The crimson-eyed woman spoke, "You did great, Kari! You really deserve that ribbon!"

She smiled warmly at her, "Thanks Mrs. Villagran. I have your son thank for Hippopotas, though."

The ruby adolescent gave a nervous smile while scratching the back of his head.

"It was nothing really. Hippopotas only turned out so great because he has such a great coordinator."

Kari could not help but smile at her friend's compliment. "Thanks for taking care of Chimchar for me."

"Y-yeah, no problem."

She then turned to the younger Villagran brother and asked, "What did you think, Frankie?"

He shrugged, "It was okay."

The olive girl rolled her eyes and quickly planted a kiss on the boy's cheek to which she got an immediate response in the form of a smile.

"Okay, it was awesome."

She grinned down at him and said, "You're lucky I like compliments."

Mr. Villagran patted his friend on the back and bellowed, "Alright, Steven, I think we should get these kids to the airport for their flight!"

Kari's father nodded and the two families went to their separate cars before heading to the Jubilife City airport. Because Mark and Kari's flight was in the evening, they figured that they could squeeze in one last contest before their departure.

* * *

Alex stood before the sliding automatic doors of the Saffron City airport with his backpack slung over one shoulder and his sports bag on the opposite one. His father pulled on his suit case as they strolled up to the luggage check-in desk. After an emotional goodbye with his mother, the boy and his father left her with his two younger sisters in the car so they could lap around the unloading area.

Once the airport worker took Alex's bags, the father and son stepped out of line and looked at one another.

The large man put a thick hand on his son's shoulder and said, "Alright, Alex, I want you to have fun over there but _do not_ put anything above your schoolwork, okay? That means girls too."

"Don't worry, pop. I'm going to become an awesome trainer! When I come back, I'm going to be much stronger and you'll be able to tell just by one look at me."

He chuckled and nodded understandingly at his son. "I know you will." He pulled Alex into a hug and the boy returned it. When they separated, his father said, "I'm going to miss you, Al."

The brunette's expression softened as he responded, "I'm going to miss you too, dad."

The man nudged his head towards the metal detectors and said, "You should get on your way. Your flight will be taking off soon."

Alex nodded, "Right…well I'll see you later, dad." The boy turned and began walking towards the metal detector with nothing but the clothes on his back, an orange backpack secured around his shoulders, and his determination.

* * *

Alex had been on the plane for several hours stuffed between an overweight man that smelled like cheesy puffs and an elderly gentleman that snored through the entire ride. The adolescent had to ask for napkins multiple times to clean the oozing saliva that dripped down onto his shirt.

A flight attendant's voice sounded through the speakers, "Passengers, please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for landing. Please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for landing."

_Thank Arceus!_

He peered over the round man's gut to find a large expanse of water but no sign of the island they were landing on. According to the student handbook, which he quickly skimmed through, the island was shaped like a star – hence the name of the school.

Moments later, he felt a gentle thud underneath him instantly followed by the sensation of deceleration. Soon, the plane had completed its stop and Alex wasted no time in getting off and going to luggage claim.

Alex waited there for half an hour, watching as other people redeemed their possessions but his bags never came down.

_Are you freaking kidding me?! Of course this would happen to me! Let me see if I can find a worker._

His search led him to the information booth where he found a young woman sitting behind the window. Her eyes were lifeless as she chewed her gum mechanically and stared blankly at the computer screen in front of her. Her chin rested against the palm of her hand with her elbow pressed against the desk. Alex stood there for several minutes waiting for her to call him up but she just kept opening and closing her mouth, producing obnoxious noises with her gum.

"Uh, excuse me?"

The only thing that changed was the position of her eyes when they shifted to look at him.

"Yes?" she asked as though giving him her attention was the biggest favor anyone could for another person.

"Um, my bags never came down. Did they get lost?"

"Let me check." She paused for a short moment, never once breaking contact with him, and responded, "No."

"You didn't even look at your screen," Alex countered trying not to let his frustration surface. He wasn't doing a fantastic job at it.

"Look, kid. My shift is over. I'm just waiting for someone to take over."

"But you're here right now and the computer is right in front of you!"

Another voice caught his attention, "Hey, are you a student at Star Academy, mon?"

Alex turned to find another young man standing behind him. He was very tall, standing at around six feet, with a dark hide. He wore a pair of tinted glasses, but Alex could see dark eyes behind them. His black hair was styled into dreads that fell down to his mid-back and black ink marked his inner right forearm, spelling out the words "One Love" in cursive style.

His clothing was very casual and simplistic consisting of a bright shirt with palm trees scattered all over it, a pair of khaki shorts, and brown sandals. A gold chain could be found around his neck despite some of it falling behind his shirt and a red, green, and yellow beanie hung from the back of his head.

"Yeah…" Alex said cautiously.

"Don't worry, brudda. All SA students get deir luggage transferred to the academy by boat. Da next boat leaves soon so we should get going." The colorful stranger turned and began walking, knowing that Alex would follow.

The emerald-eyed boy looked at the employee to find that she had lost interest in what was going on a long time ago and resumed staring at her monitor. With nothing left for him there, Alex ran off after the tall adolescent.

When he caught up, Alex asked, "So this isn't Star Island?"

"Nope. This is Crescent Island. The only way to get to Star Island is by boat."

"Ohhh. So are you a Star Academy student too?"

"You betcha' mon!" His smile was large to the point of contagion. "I'm a second year and I'm guessin' you're a freshy, ya?"

"By that you're asking if it's my first time, right?"

"Whoa!" the colorful boy said while playfully raising his hands in defense. "I didn't say anyting about your sex life." It took Alex a second to understand the joke but when he did, he couldn't help but laugh along. "So what's your name?"

"I'm Alex. What's yours?"

"Da names Aaron."

"Nice to meet you! So second year, huh? I bet you've got lots of strong Pokemon, right?"

"Naw, mon, I'm a breeder. Making 'strong' Pokemon isn't really my ting."

"Breeder?"

"Ya." He pulled on both ends of Alex's ear. "Hello? Is anybody in der?" He let the younger boy go and asked, "Did you tink only trainers went to SA?"

Alex chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "Kind of."

"Oh you're in for a treat den, because you're about to meet all sorts of people wit different reasons for bein' here."

"Sounds sweet! How are the chicks?"

Aaron simply pressed his thumb to his index finger and simultaneously winked while clicking his tongue and that was all Alex needed to know.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Alex said, rushing ahead.

Aaron laughed, "Hold on, brudda! You don't even know where we're goin'!"

* * *

Alex planted his feet firmly on the soft soil and took a breath of fresh air when he and Aaron got off the ferry and arrived on Star Island. The first year could immediately sense a difference between the two islands. Crescent Island was noisy, filled with all sorts of sounds varying from honking cars to chatter amongst its citizens. There were no Pokemon with the exception of the Pidove standing on buildings and searching for food on the streets, the alley Rattata, and the occasional pet.

Star Island was covered in forests for miles and the air smelled fresh unlike its polluted neighbor. Alex could hear the cooing and squawking of several kinds of bird Pokemon and if he looked closely, he could see various bug-types in the grass or in the trees. He was more accustomed to large expanses of green than to gray.

"So where's the academy?" Alex asked.

"I'm glad you asked," responded an unfamiliar voice.

Alex's head followed the male voice and his emerald eyes fell upon a man with a mop of stringy chestnut locks that covered his ears and swept over his forehead. A pair of rectangular glasses separated his violet eyes from the rest of the world.

Taking one look at his clothing, Alex knew that this man had to be a teacher. The black blazer over the salmon-colored dress shirt were clear indicators of that. His khakis were perfectly ironed, completely devoid of wrinkles and his dress shoes reflected a ray of the high afternoon sun.

Aaron greeted him politely, "Hello, Dr. Boykin."

The teacher turned to the tall boy and offered him a smile as he responded, "Hello, Aaron. It's good to see you again." The chestnut man's voice was rather deep for his lanky appearance. He returned his attention to Alex and said, "And I'm assuming you're a first year, correct?"

Alex nodded with a friendly smile, "Yeah! My name's Alex."

An ivory hand stretched out in front of him. "It's nice to meet you, Alex. I am Dr. David Boykins, one of the instructors here at Star Academy."

"Seriously?! That's awesome! What do you teach?"

Just as Dr. Boykin was about to speak, he was interrupted by a short woman with burning auburn hair yet gentle sapphire eyes. She looked young, but definitely could not have been mistaken for a student with the amount of red covering her lips. Other than her lipstick, faint traces of blush and mascara could be detected but she had applied enough to not look like a clown.

Her clothing was casual but very classy consisting of a white blouse, a green skirt, and a thin beige cardigan to protect her milky skin from burning. She wore a pair of green flats on account of the terrain and her right wrist sported a silver bracelet.

"Yes, Jane?" the man asked.

"I'm going to take this group to the academy. Can you wait here for the next one?"

He gave his colleague a courteous nod paired with a gentle smile and looked at Alex.

"We can continue talking later. Please follow Dr. Beatty to that bus over there. It will take you to the academy." The students followed his finger to a yellow bus that others were already boarding. "I'll see you both at the banquet."

* * *

The bus ride was not too long but Alex could not believe that it took him a car, a plane, a boat, _and_ a bus all to reach Star Academy. The good thing was that he was finally on campus and he finally got his luggage which had been transferred from the boat onto the bus. Dr. Beatty directed Alex to the admissions office where he would get his room key and class schedule.

After waiting in line, they reached the front and Alex decided to let Aaron go first. It was more because he wanted to see the older boy handle the situation first so that he didn't ask any stupid questions.

"Next!" the young woman behind the desk called.

Alex approached the plump raven-haired woman and said, "Hi, I'm here for my room key and schedule."

"Mhm," she responded cheerily. "Can I get your name?"

"Alex Arceo." She pulled up a drawer somewhere behind the desk and pulled out a folder. Upon opening it, her smile disappeared. "What's wrong?"

"Well, I have your room key right here but it seems that you forgot to sign up for classes."

Alex's eyes widened as much as they possibly could have as he stammered, "W-what?! I had to enroll in them?! I thought that we were assigned classes!"

"Did you read the student manual?"

He mentally slapped his forehead and let out a strained groan, "I skimmed…"

"I'm sorry. You really should have read through it."

The brunette put his hands on the edges of the desk and desperately asked, "Is there any way I can get my classes right now?"

Her face scrunched, "Sorry, not here. I have to check in other students. If you go down the hall and go to the first door on your left, you might be able to find someone to help you."

Alex darted out of the room and quickly entered the door the admissions lady told him and found himself in a small lobby with a long desk separating it from the next room. On the other side of that desk was a thin young woman with dark skin and frizzy hair tied into a bun.

She looked up at him and greeted, "Hi there, how can I help you?"

She was answered by an almost incoherent group of words which she made out to be, "I didn't sign up for classes and I need to get in. Can you help me?"

"Sure?" she said, not too sure. "At this point, though, almost all of the classes are full."

"Just put me in any classes that you can find, please." This time, he spoke more clearly.

The worker nodded before turning to the computer in front of her and asking, "What's your name?"

"Alex. Alex Arceo."

"And what program are you in?"

"Program?"

"You know, trainer, coordinator, breeder, researcher?"

"Trainer."

The room fell silent except for the clicking of keys as the young woman pressed them without fault. She finally looked up at him and said, "Alright, Sugar Plum, I'm printing out your schedule right now."

As the thin woman walked to the printer, Aaron walked in through the door and said, "You forgetting something, mon?"

Alex turned to find the older boy with both of their luggage and his stomach dropped with the guilt that fell into it. But that only lasted a second before the young woman said, "Alright, Alex here's your schedule." He accepted the papyrus excitedly and hungry eyes roamed over it.

The emerald orbs slowed as he read the contents of the paper. It was a planner separated into days of the week with the time slots on the side and boxes with the name and instructor of his classes plotted on the grid.

_Okay, so Monday I have Pokemon Habitats from eight to eight-thirty. That's a drag but oh well. Algebra from eleven to eleven-fif –_ "Wait!" he shouted, not really trying to get anyone's attention. He was mostly doing it to stop himself. "Algebra?" His eyes scrambled over the schedule and he read aloud, "Chemistry? P.E.? Mythology? Hold on!" His head snapped up to the woman. "This is actual school stuff! I mean, I don't mind P.E. but what about the other stuff?"

Her eyebrow scrunched and she cocked her head slightly, thrown off by his statement. He made it sound like this was blasphemous.

"Well, yes. This is a school, after all."

Aaron managed to connect the pieces and started laughing, catching the others' attention.

"Oh, no, mon, you've got the wrong idea about dis place. You tought dat you were just gonna' learn about Pokemon battling, ya?"

Alex nodded slowly, unsure of what he was getting at.

"Well you learn dat here, but dis is an actual high school where you learn about other subjects."

The worker finally understood Alex's confusion herself and clarified, "Oh, Sweet Pea, let me explain how classes work around here. Since you're in the trainer program, you'll be in the Battle Styles and Tactics class for your three years here. You're also going to have Physical Education and an elective ever year. Now you only need two years of a single elective but some students pick a class thinking they'll like it when they end up not liking it so after each quarter for your first year, we give you the option to change electives."

"Okay, but what about the math and other stuff?"

"Well in addition to your occupational, P.E., and elective classes, every year you must take one math class, one humanities class, one physical science class, and one Pokemon science class. You didn't pick your classes before so I just put you in whatever was available, but don't worry, all of the requirements are met by these classes."

Alex took one last look at his schedule and read the rest of his classes to himself. "Hey, what does it mean by Physical Education 'C'?"

"Well we have two instructors for Physical Education and they each teach two classes. So Coach Whittier teaches P.E. A on Mondays and Wednesdays and P.E. D on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Coach Roads has P.E. B on Mondays and Wednesdays and P.E. C on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you look at Friday, though," her thin finger drew Alex's attention onto the thin sheet, "They combine Sections A with C and B with D and teach them together."

Alex nodded slowly as he continued processing the information in before him.

"Are you okay now?" she asked, sincerity apparent in her voice.

A pair of emerald orbs revealed her reflection as the mouth that they shared a body with formed into a genuine smile and said, "Yup! Thanks for everything!" With that, Alex grabbed his luggage and walked out the door with Aaron.

The older boy now had to show the first year where the dorms were. While they walked, he asked, "You really didn't know?"

Alex shook his head, "No, I seriously thought all I was going to learn here was how to be a better trainer."

"Are you disappointed?"

"Eh, a little, but it doesn't matter what classes they throw at me. I'll pass them all with flying colors!"

Alex's optimism and quick recovery forced a smile upon Aaron's face. He hadn't known this boy for an hour and he was already drawn to his positive energy. Forty minutes was all it took for him to know that Alex was the type to get hit by a Donphan's Rollout and get back up to take another.

"This schedule is kind of weird, though."

"Are you talking about de large spaces between them?"

"Yeah, how come I have like a two-hour break between my first two classes? And how come I only go to most of these twice a week?"

"Dat's to prevent classes from conflicting."

"But how come my last class on Mondays and Wednesdays doesn't end 'til six?"

"Dat's just the way they were able to make the schedules. Don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds. You'll get used to it pretty quick. Plus on most days, your days ends around three or four and from then on, you have free time."

"Alright, I guess that makes sense."

The duo walked for a few minutes until they reached a set of three buildings with what seemed to be a courtyard between them. The land was rather uneven with the courtyard lower than the base of the buildings but multiple stairs cases bridged the two levels. The courtyard's ground was made of multi-colored cobblestones, but all of the paths around were made of cement. In the center was a fountain with a statue resembling a Manaphy and Phione playing – water was shot out from their mouth pieces and fell over a plate underneath them.

The three buildings resembled apartments and were very similar in design, distinguished only by color. The furthest one from them was on lower ground but stood taller than the other two. Its walls were coated in a peach color but the window sills and other edges on the building were a burning red-orange. The other two buildings were blue and green and shared the quality of light walls and dark edges.

"So these are the dorms?" Alex asked.

"Ya! I'm in Terra. Dat's de orange building."

Alex looked down at the small slip of paper that came with his room key that said his dorm building's name and room number. "I'm in Ventus, 301."

Aaron pointed at the green building and said, "You're gonna' go in there. How about we get settled and den head to the banquet?"

* * *

"Sounds good to me!"

Alex entered the Ventus Dorm and found that the inside was rather plain. It was a simple lobby with a couple sofas and a few chairs, a support beam, and an elevator. There wasn't anyone else there so he stepped into the elevator and ascended to the third floor. The search for his room began but before long, he stood in front of a viridian door with the numbers "301" in bronze. He noticed that there was a small lens just under the numbers which he decided to keep in the back of his head.

Using the silver key, he entered the room and found that it was bigger than he thought it would be. His second observation explained why. There was a single bed on one end of the room and a bunk bed on the other. Apparently someone had already claimed the single as evident by the navy and red blanket set on it and the luggage lying next to it. A black backpack sat on the chair by the desk at the foot of the bed so that must have been occupied as well.

Looking around the room, he noticed that there was a large window at the other end of the room which was left uncovered and there were two more sets of desks and chairs, each with a tall wooden dresser next to them.

Since only the single was occupied, he decided to pick which bunk would be his and pulled his suit case behind him. As he approached the beds, he felt his suit case knock something and heard a loud thud and a small hollow ringing.

Alex turned to find a black guitar lying face down on the floor and his stomach plummeted. _Shit! Shit! Shit!_

A door on the side wall that he overlooked when entering the room, which was most likely the restroom, flung open and a teenage boy with spiky silver hair stepped out. His dark eyes quickly found the fallen instrument and darted towards the brunette standing on the other side of it.

The silver-haired youth rhetorically asked, "Seriously, dude?!"

"I'm really sorry, I didn't see it there."

"Whatever," he said as he picked the onyx instrument and set it against the wall between his bed and desk.

Alex examined the adolescent in front of him, instantly taking note of his strange hair. It was cut short on the sides but left to a medium length on top to be spiked and swept slightly to the right. A pair of black square-rimmed glasses shielded his onyx orbs. His skin sported a medium tan which only contrasted his hair, making it stand out even more.

The boy wore a short sleeve plum sweater with dandelion yellow lining the bottom, hood, and edges of the sleeves. The zipper was silver as well as the fleur-de-lis on his both of his shoulders. The sweater was zipped halfway, leaving his black undershirt and chain necklace visible. The silver jewelry had a pendant in the shape of a treble cleft and in the center of the bottom swirl was a multi-colored stone. The silver boy's jeans were dark gray and his black sneakers had white bottoms and violet laces. The final touch to his outfit was the black sweatband with ash gray edges on his left wrist.

The stranger turned around and noticed Alex staring at him. He rudely stated, "Sorry, buddy, I don't swing that way."

Alex's brows fell as he quickly went on the offensive and countered, "Really? You hair says otherwise."

Silver's eyes widened upon hearing the retort and stated, "Well I'm glad it's noticeable or your clumsy-ass would bump into me too."

"What kind of idiot leaves his guitar out of the case?! Besides, it was sticking out from behind the wall."

"Well if it was sticking out, maybe you would've seen it!"

"It's a black guitar! How am I supposed to see that?!"

"The rug is light blue!"

"Uhh…is this a bad time?"

The bickering ceased when they turned to find another boy with his hand on the doorknob, but this one had crimson eyes as ripe as a Chople Berry and jet black hair. The white sweater that he sported had cobalt blue sleeves and hood, the dark blue jeans were a comfortable medium between skinny and baggy, and the gray sneakers had traces of blue throughout and white laces.

The silver boy walked past him and said, "I'm going out."

The ruby boy sighed, "I was hoping I'd be able to get along with my roommates."

"He's just on his period because I dropped his guitar on accident." Alex pointed to the onyx instrument leaning against the wall.

"Wow, did you apologize?"

"Yes! And he totally gave me attitude afterwards."

"Don't worry. I'm sure he just needs some time to cool off. I mean, we'll be living together for a whole year. I'm sure he knows that."

Alex merely shrugged and said, "I guess. That's on him, though. I'm Alex, by the way." He put a hand forward and his new roommate accepted it.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Mark."

"I'm not sure if you have a bunk preference, but I just got here so we can work that out. Mr. Attitude took the single."

"Well that depends on who usually wakes up first in the mornings."

"I'm not that big of a morning person."

"Okay, but maybe we should check out schedules to see who _has_ to wake up first."

Alex wagged his index finger at Mark, "That's a good idea."

When the two boys compared schedules, the ruby boy said, "We have two classes together! Guess it doesn't matter who gets which because we'll be leaving at the same time every day."

"Okay, so which do you want?"

"Mmm, it doesn't matter to me."

"Alright, dibs on top!" Mark chuckled as Alex tossed his luggage onto the top bunk and began his ascent. As the two unpacked, Alex asked, "Hey, did you know that we'd be taking actual classes? Like the kind you go to normal high school for?"

"Yes?" he responded, not really sure why Alex was asking this. "Why? Did you not?"

The brunette quickly waved his hands in defense, shook his head, and laughed nervously, "Oh no, I was just asking because I heard some idiot thought that this place was just for becoming a stronger trainer."

Mark laughed along, "Oh, okay. Wow, that guy sure doesn't know what's going on."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! I know right? So what are you here for?"

"Do you mean what program I'm in?" He was answered by a nod. "I'm a breeder. What about you?"

"Trainer…" He was praying to Arceus that Mark did not realize he was the idiot that he mentioned before.

"Cool! So have you started collecting badges already?"

"Yup! I've got a total of five!" Alex was taken by arrogance as he flashed his wallet to his roommate. "I just recently got the Marsh Badge."

"That's awesome! I've done some traveling too with my friend. She's a coordinator and she came here with me."

_I hope she's hot. I better stick with this guy to find out._

"What region did you guys travel?"

"Sinnoh. That's where we're both from."

"Sinnoh? I heard it's really cold up there."

"Yeah, it is, even Sunyshore has breezes most of the time. Where are you from?"

"My hometown is Vermillion City in Kanto."

"Kanto, huh? I've heard it's similar to Sinnoh – a few big cities and lots of trees."

"Yeah, that's Kanto for you," Alex chuckled. "Hey, so I agreed to meet up with a friend for the banquet. You want to tag along?"

"I have to meet up with my coordinator friend when I'm done unpacking. If we see each other, we could sit together."

"Sounds good!"

* * *

After the frustrating situation with his silver-haired roommate, Alex just wanted to get something to eat and forget about it. The last thing he consumed was the airplane food which was not exactly appetite-pleasing. As he exited the Ventus Dorm, he looked around the courtyard to find that there were more students now, most likely because they were all starting to leave for the dining hall.

His emerald spheres analyzed the area, taking note of some of the attractive girls, until they fell upon Aaron who seemed to be talking to someone but he could not see who because another student was in the way. He began approaching, but the interfering student stepped out of the way and Alex groaned inwardly. Aaron was talking to Silver Hair.

Alex had only spoken to Aaron for about an hour. They weren't exactly the best of friends with years of memories and experiences together. Maybe he could just walk away and go to the banquet by himself. Who knows? He could meet a girl and go with her. That'd be ideal. His plans were thwarted when Aaron's shaded eyes locked with his and the tall boy gestured with his arm for Alex to approach.

Alex neared the two and Silver turned around to which he was greeted with an unpleasant sight. He quickly turned to Aaron and asked, "How do you this clown?!"

"You mean Alex? He's cool, man. Wait, is he the guy you were just tellin' me about?"

"I said I was sorry!" Alex yelled at his roommate.

Aaron turned to the violet-clad boy and said, "Gio, it was just an accident. Alex is a nice guy."

"You've only talked to him for like an hour," the boy, known as Gio, retorted.

"And you've only talked him for a few seconds."

As much as he hated to admit it, Aaron was making a good point. Gio let out a sigh and turned to Alex. "Sorry for snapping at you back there. It's just that guitar cost me a pretty penny. My name's Sergio, by the way."

Alex nodded and introduced himself as well. "I think I'd be pretty pissed if a stranger almost broke something that cost me a lot."

Sergio's lips cracked into a soft smile as he said, "Hey, we don't know anything about an 'almost' just yet. I haven't even checked it."

Alex chuckled, "True. How much did it cost you, exactly?"

"Thirty-thousand Poke Dollars."

"So, um, do you want me to go get you coffee? Pick up your dry-cleaning? Battle some people? Because I'm shy of thirty G's."

Sergio laughed, "How short?"

"Thirty G's." The trio laughed together and afterwards, decided to head to the dining hall.

* * *

"Wow, he got mad over someone dropping his guitar?" Kari asked as she and Mark sat inside the dining hall. Chimchar was comfortably sitting on her lap – his tail flame was put out. The room was very large with a converging ceiling and many stain-glass windows high on the walls. The walls appeared cream in color due to the dim yellow lights from the multiple hanging chandeliers. The length of the room had small pathways separated from the rest of the dining room by a series of circular columns.

Like all of the tables inside that room, the table Mark and Kari sat at was very long, capable of seating at least thirty people and there were several of them inside the dining hall, all facing the same direction. At the very end of the room was another long table, which was perpendicular to and not as long as the others, occupied by many adults. The two friends assumed that those were the instructors.

There was no sight of any food, but silverware and utensils were placed in every seat for when the food arrived. Until then, the students spoke to occupy themselves. If they could not eat yet, they would use their mouths for something else.

Mark tried his best to speak over the roar of meshed conversations, "Yeah, I get that Alex should've been more careful but this other guy was being a huge jerk. I could hear them having a yelling match while walking to my room."

"Well, I can't really blame him. I'd be kind of peeved if that happened to me. That's nothing compared to my roommate though. She a total bitch!"

"Why?"

"Okay, first off, she had both beds put together for her to sleep in and told me that I would have to sleep on the floor. On top of that, she already had hired some workers to paint the wall pink! We're not even supposed to put stickers on the walls and she's painting them!"

"I see what you mean. Did you get your bed back?"

"Last time I checked, it was on my side of the room but 'Princess' probably hired someone to move them back together." Mark couldn't help but laugh at his friend's situation. "Why are you laughing?!"

"Because – wait."

"What?"

Ruby orbs locked onto three adolescents as they entered the large room. He pointed to them, causing Kari and Chimchar to both turn their heads. "You see the brunette and the guy with silver hair?"

"Are those your roommates?"

"Yeah. The brunette is Alex. I'm not really sure who the third guy is."

"It seems like they made up. Hey, why don't you call them over?"

"B-because I barely know them."

"Come on, you've gotta' be more social! How are you supposed to make friends if you don't talk to people?"

Mark let out a sigh, dropping the argument before it reached the point where Kari brought up the swing incident from their childhood. "Alright, let me call them over." He stood up and started waving until Alex saw him and the trio approached them.

Upon seeing Kari, Alex immediately got excited. _Yes! She's freaking cute!_ Mark sat down and introduced the two.

As Alex shook her hand, he said, "Nice to meet you. Mark, Kari, this is Aaron and Sergio."

"Nice to meet you all!" Kari responded cheerily as she shook each of their hands. Her eyes locked onto Sergio and she said, "Mark said you were hard to miss and he wasn't kidding."

The silver-haired youth laughed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I thought it'd be a nice change, you know? My natural hair color is black."

She nodded, "Yeah, it actually looks pretty cool."

_Note to self: dye your hair_, Alex instructed himself.

As the three boys took their seats at the table, Mark said, "So you guys made up?"

Sergio nodded, "Yeah, sorry for giving you the cold shoulder before."

"It's okay. As long as everything is okay now." He shot Alex an "I told you so" look.

Suddenly, their ears were filled with the gentle chime of a spoon meeting a glass cup and the room fell silent. All eyes turned to the gentleman creating the sound. He was a tall man with dark skin, caramel eyes, and a shiny head. The only visible hair was his sideburns which met underneath his chin. His forehead was creased with a few worry lines, evidence for his years of hard work. He wore a simple suit and tie with the blazer left undone, nothing too distinguishable.

This man stood in the center behind the long table perpendicular to the rest of the tables. To either sides of him were several adults, each wearing professional attire. Alex identified two of these people: Dr. Boykin and Dr. Beatty but the rest were new faces to him.

Upon garnering the students' attention, the tall man smiled and began speaking, "Thank you all for your attention." His voice was deep, but very calm and slightly mysterious. "I am Professor Robert Cedar, the dean here, and it is my pleasure to welcome you all to Star Academy. Each of you is here because we have seen potential in you – potential that you have been wise in using up to this point – and the faculty here is dedicated to help you reach your full potential and grow even more as an individual. Before me are some the world's brightest minds, strongest wills, and largest hearts, brought together by your love of Pokemon and your drive to reach greater heights. Seated to both my left and right are the capable individuals who will be your instructors this year and I would like each of them to take a moment to introduce themselves."

Starting from the far right, each instructor introduced him or herself and the subject or subjects that they taught, but Alex mostly just paid attention to those whose classes he had. He couldn't really tell if this was good or bad but he was in neither Dr. Boykin nor Dr. Beatty's classes. Once the last instructor finished her introduction, Professor Cedar reclaimed everyone's attention.

"Thank you for introducing yourselves and for being with us this year." He redirected his speech back to the students and said, "These instructors are here as resources and guides to help you during your time here – each determined to help you all. You have a long year ahead of you and only you can decide what you do with your time here. Now before we start eating, I just wanted to tell you that classes begin tomorrow. With all of that out of the way, I think it's time for the food to be served."

From the other end of the room, waiters entered through swinging doors with covered platters in their hands. They spread out across the room synchronously, setting the silver discs in front of the students, and returned to the kitchen to get more. Just as one walked into the kitchen, another came out with sheathed platter and this process continued until all of the plates had been distributed.

Cedar raised his hands and announced, "Let's eat!"

The dishes were uncovered, revealing a spread of food that could satisfy any diet. There was meat, there was fruit, there were vegetables, sea food, pasta, pizza, tacos, and any food one could think of. Alex's eyes shimmered with joy as he started making his selections and gorging on the spread, disgusting some of the health conscious students, surprising his new friends, and amusing the faculty.

"I'm glad that I could fill your palate," a deep voice resonated from behind. Alex turned to find Professor Cedar standing behind him with a satisfied smile.

The brunette swallowed the bundle of food in his mouth and responded cheerily, "This food is amazing!" The dark man chuckled. "Oh! By the way, Professor Oak says hi!"

The professor's eyes widened upon hearing that name and a sudden realization occurred to him. The slight look of astonishment softened into a friendly smile as he said, "Ah, so you're Alex. Oak said you were an interesting one. First, Nancy and Lily tell me what happened in the admissions office earlier today and now I see your vigor and spirit." He chuckled to himself. "Professor Oak wasn't lying." He placed a large hand on the boy's shoulder and said, "I hope you enjoy your stay here."

Alex nodded and called to the, now leaving, headmaster, "Thanks!"

* * *

The banquet ended and Alex was lying on his back with a stomach so full that he looked like a pregnant Kangaskhan.

Sergio was strumming his guitar to check if there was any inner damage to it when he teased Alex, "You're going to put this school into bankruptcy with all the food you eat."

Mark laughed and added, "Yeah! I didn't think someone could eat a dozen barbecue wings and a whole pizza in under ten minutes."

Alex responded, "And I'm two-thousand Poke Dollars richer for it."

Sergio laughed and shook his head before stating, "Well tomorrow is your guys' first day so you should get some sleep."

As Mark placed his Poketch on his night stand, he queried, "Wait, so you're not a first year?"

"Nope, second year researcher."

"What do you research?" Mark followed up.

The silver boy could not control the grin that surfaced onto his face. "I can go on about it for hours but I'm actually really tired. Remind me again tomorrow, alright?" His roommates nodded their approval. Sergio reached for his lamp and said, "Good night."

**Special thanks to Shujinko for Aaron Chancler**

**Yas! I'm done! Okay, so a few things about why this chapter is so long. For starters, I had to introduce all of the main characters (and one submitted character) and give a good amount of their personalities so you guys could get a feel for them. Then there were SO many things that I had to explain like Star Academy being on Star Island and the city being on Crescent Island, the schedule system, and the dorms. Plus giving descriptions of people and places takes up a nice chunk of word count.**

**Now I apologize for only revealing one submitted character, which was Aaron. Kari, mine. Mark, mine. Sergio, mine. Dr. Boykin, mine. Dr. Beatty, mine. I'm also very sorry that there was no battle and hardly any mention to Pokemon in general in this chapter with the exception of Kari's Hippopotas and Chimchar. The next chapter will have a few more characters revealed and it should not be as long as this one. As I've said before, I want this story to be driven more by the plot than by the battles.**

**Now, it took me days to figure out which teachers teach which subjects, how the schedule system should work, and which classes Alex, Mark, Kari, and Sergio will be taking so this is where I need you guys to make my life easier. For everyone who has a student character in this story, go to my profile and you'll see that under the OC Student Form, I have a list of classes sorted by type. I'd like you to PM a list of your character's classes. Because the occupational class is predetermined and all students take P.E., you will be deciding the math, humanities, physical science, Pkmn science, and elective classes that your character will be taking. For math, all first years will be taking Algebra so if your character is a first year, DO NOT bother with it. If your character is a second year, it could be possible that they failed Algebra and had to take it again and if they are a third year, it is possible that they failed Algebra or Geometry and are in Geometry. If the third year is in Geometry, specify which class they failed. The classes you select for your character will determine how the story plays out because the interactions between characters will be determined by which ones have classes together.**

**Alright, so I've come to the decision to remove Eric from the story so in this story, Mark does not have an older brother named Eric. Some of my other personal characters have been dropped like Takuya, Wesley, and Marisa because I felt like none of their story lines were prominent enough and that none of them could stand alone.**

**Now this is for all of my readers. Because "Pokemon Academy: A New Dawn" was the story that I did QOTD's for, I feel it only appropriate to do it for this story as well. I'm not sure if I'll be doing this every chapter, but I'll definitely be doing them.**

**QOTD: A few of the characters from my previous PA stories will be appearing in this story as well. From all of the submitted characters in PA, who was your favorite?**

**Here's a list of characters that were mine. These were NOT submitted: Alex, Mark, Eric, Takuya, Marisa, Wesley, Vanessa, Grant, and Roman. The rest of the characters were submitted and you can pick from them.**

**Now I'm going to bed so that I can get a few hours of sleep before I have to wake up. Legacy, night night!**


	3. Toilet Bowl

**Read this! Important Information!**

**I know this isn't the update you guys were expecting but after thinking about it over and over, I was not content with Chapter 2 for this story because I didn't know where to go from there so I decided to rewrite a few parts and change a few of the events. A lot of important points were changed so please read through the entire chapter. The events of this chapter are now canon to the story. I know it seems tedious to reread some of the things that did not change but whenever an author takes a while to update an SYOC story I am reading, I forget the some of the characters' names and personalities and even some of the events that took place in the previous chapter so this should help a bit because Chapter 3 will not take me months to complete since I am on Summer Break.**

**Also, it's a good thing that I rewrote the chapter because I found A LOT of mistakes. So many that I have to apologize for making you guys read that. I definitely checked the chapter at least a couple times so I have no idea how so many mistakes slipped their way in. I'd really appreciate it if you guys could let me know when I make so many mistakes in a chapter in the future. You don't have to point out exactly where I messed up (if you could, that would be awesome though). Just let me know if there are more mistakes than there should be. I am bound to make mistakes so if it's just a few, it isn't the end of the world. **

**Anyways, I'm answering the reviews to the previous Chapter 2 in the next chapter because I've got A LOT to address. I'm not sure if you can review this updated version of this chapter but if you can, please let me know what you think of it.**

**These are responses to Chapter 1:**

**grimbutnotalways: Yes, Alex was the only trainer in the group and I made Mark, Kari, and Sergio all different occupations on purpose because I knew most people would submit a trainer.**

**Vioet AND Will you make it in time: They're just dorms. I don't think I'll have enough time to do anything competitively between them. Or actually…maybe. I might do something like a little arc similar to the competition from Monster's University. And yes, the third house is Aqua.**

**Enjoy the revised chapter!**

**Chapter 2: Toilet Bowl**

Kari could hear the sound of water trickling against the shower floor from the other side of the door as she pounded on it and yelled, "Kirsty! Hurry up! I have to get ready for class!" She held a pair of towels and her toiletries in her free hand, but the force she applied to them was cringe worthy.

Her little orange monkey joined her by slamming his tiny fists against the door as well. "Char! Char! Chimchar!" Kari and Chimchar had been at it for five minutes straight and they were not planning on stopping until the door opened.

"Kirsty!" she shouted as she repeated her aggressive action. The brunette was causing so much noise that she couldn't even hear the water cease. "Kir–"

The door flung open and a very short girl with violet eyes and creamy skin appeared on the other side with a look of frustration. Her wet raven hair was wrapped in a salmon towel while her body was shielded by its twin. A small brown Pokemon with a round body, striped bulb-like tail, and dark ears, was sitting comfortably on the girl's shoulder – a towel was wrapped around her head as well.

"What?!" she snapped back.

Kari placed one fist on her hip and stood her ground against the fierce five-footer by retorting, "There are other people that need to shower, you know?"

The little ape stomped around, "Chimchar!"

Kirsty rolled her eyes, "Um, excuse me? It's rude to rush someone."

"Sentret, Sen!" added the normal-type to antagonize Chimchar.

The little ape's tail grew in size and intensity as he continued stomping around, "Char! Chimchar, Chim!"

"It's also rude to make someone late on purpose," Kari responded aggressively.

"Uh, I have to shower too."

"You don't even have class this early!"

The violet-eyed girl leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms while responding sassily, "Your point?"

Kari pinched the bridge of her nose and yelled, "Just let me take my shower!"

Kirsty seemed unaffected as she simply glared back at the brunette but she finally let out an exaggerated breath and responded, "Fine, let me get dressed. You're so pushy."

Kari was about ready to punch a hole in the wall as the small girl walked back into the restroom and closed the door behind her. Instead, the brunette grabbed her Poketch and sent a message to Mark.

* * *

Alex's room was bathed in a cobalt hue from the early morning sun that barely crept through the partially closed blinds. The three beds were all in different states. Alex's had a stray sheet thrown about it, Sergio's had a snoring lump covered by a navy and red checkered blanket, and Mark's had been made already.

_Why couldn't he just wait for me to finish getting ready?_ The emerald teen thought to himself as he sluggishly ran a hand through his chocolate mane, distributing the hair gel throughout it.

He let out a yawn and slowly blinked his eyes. Alex was not a morning person regardless of what time he went to bed and would move about as though an iron ball were chained to each wrist and ankle.

The emerald boy looked from side-to-side to inspect the spiked locks and approved of them. As he entered his room, he found that Sergio was still asleep in his single bed. The silver-haired boy's first class was later in the day so his roommates agreed to be as quiet as possible while getting ready.

Alex grabbed his red flannel and put one arm through each sleeve one at a time when he heard something vibrate on a solid surface. He turned his head to where the sound resonated from to find a navy blue Poketch sitting on Mark's desk.

_See, that's what he gets for not waiting for me. He forgot his Poketch._ As he eyed the device, a thought popped into his head. _Wait, the only people he knows here other than me and Sergio are Aaron and…Kari!_ He scrambled for the electronic and found that Mark had indeed received a message from the coordinator.

It read, _Hey, my bitch of a roommate is taking long in the shower. Can you pick up some breakfast for me and I'll meet you in class?_

_Wait a minute?! She's in my class?! Awesome! And now I get a chance to impress her! This is totally awesome!_

With wood burning in the furnace to fuel his enthusiasm, Alex dashed out of his room with his roommate's device clenched tightly in his grasp. He was unsure of whether the door closed softly or not, but he honestly did not care.

* * *

Mark aimlessly stirred the almost empty bowl of oatmeal before him with the plastic spoon, deep in ponder. What would the day entail? What would the teachers be like? What would the students be like? Would he be able to make any friends? One would ask why he even had to think about that. Weren't Alex and Sergio his friends? Well, he did not want them to feel obligated to be his friends just because they were living together.

The most prominent question of them all was _Where's Kari?_ The two had agreed to meet in the dining hall before class and he had been there long enough to finish his breakfast. His crimson eyes fell to his wrist but widened upon realizing that his Poketch was not secured around it. _No! I must've left it back in my room!_

The ruby boy quickly stood up from his seat and began running back to his dorm. On his way out, Mark's foot bumped into something – or rather, something bumped into his foot – causing him to fall. After the immediate shock that came from falling, he found himself on the floor with a faint chorus of chuckling and snickering resonating in his ears.

His crimson orbs vibrated, unsure of what had just happened until he heard someone say, "Don't ya know it's against the law to litter?" He rolled over to find a group of older, larger teenage boys ridiculing him. The one in the center lowered himself to look Mark in the eye with his metallic spheres – a sinister grin stretched across this older boy's face. The look on Mark's face said that he was clueless as to what was going on so he pointed to the bowl of oatmeal with his thumb and continued, "You left your food back there." He shook his head and clicked his tongue. "Very irresponsible, kid. Looks like we're gonna' have to teach you a lesson, right boys?"

His friends snickered their agreement as their leader stood up and looked down at Mark with scheming eyes. His olive skin looked darker because of the hanging lights that cast a shadow onto the first year. Mark could identify his copper brown hair, which was cut in a military fashion, as well as what he was wearing. A red jacket was adorned over a plain white T-shirt and a gold chain hung around his neck. His jeans, which were held up by a black Poke Ball belt, were a greenish brown and his running shoes were gray.

The silver-eyed boy looked at the maroon X-transceiver on his wrist and said, "Alright boys, we've got about five minutes before class starts. Let's get moving."

Two of his friends forcefully helped Mark to his feet and escorted him out of the dining hall and the rest followed. As the silver-eyed boy was about to exit, he decided to take a look around and saw that most of the other students did not really care enough to question what was about to happen. In the corner of his eye, he saw a head a raven hair move. His metallic eyes scouted for it, but failed to locate their target. With a shrug, he exited the dining hall as well.

* * *

Alex only had a few minutes left before his first class so he quickly grabbed a collection of various breakfast options and tossed them all into his backpack. Mark was nowhere to be found so he figured he'd return the Poketch to him in class.

When he arrived to his first class, he noticed that there were still some available seats and gravitated towards the middle row where he waited eagerly for the coordinator and the breeder. A couple more students entered the classroom before a familiar brunette entered with an orange monkey riding on her shoulder, but neither seemed to be in a good mood.

He waved and called out, "Hey, Kari!"

She looked up at him and gave a friendly smile in return, but he could tell it was partly forced. Despite not knowing him for much time, she figured that it would be better to sit with someone she was at least a bit familiar with. She looked around for Mark first but oddly enough, he was not there yet so she figured that when he did show up, he would sit with Alex, anyway.

"Hey Alex," she said as she plopped down in the seat next to him. From up close, Alex realized that Kari had not dried her hair and there were little to no traces of make-up to be found on her face but he already knew the reason why. "Have you seen Mark?" she asked. "I thought he'd be with you."

Hearing her ask about Mark shook his hopes, but it was to be expected. They'd practically known each other since birth.

"No, he left to get breakfast before me but he left his Poketch," He lifted the navy device and continued his explanation, "So I brought you some breakfast."

She gave him a skeptical smile and asked, "You looked through his messages?"

Alex's shoulders stiffened as he responded, "W-well, um…I didn't go _looking_ through them. It was just there when I went to pick it up."

Kari let out a laugh, "Okay, so what do you have?"

He unzipped his backpack and started bringing out his rations. "I wasn't really sure what you liked so I just got a bunch of stuff." Chimchar jumped onto the desk and snatched a banana before returning to Kari's lap and devouring the yellow fruit.

Kari grabbed a bagel, cream cheese, and a carton of orange juice and responded, "Thank you. That was really sweet of you."

_Yes! She thinks I'm sweet!_

The final person to walk in before the door closed was a young woman with fiery red hair held by a light blue headband and brilliant jade eyes enhanced by a pair of black thin-framed glasses. This young woman was beautiful with her creamy silk skin and her tall, yet thin frame. She wore a very simple outfit consisting of a teal short sleeve dress shirt, a pair of black slacks, and matching flats. A silver necklace was draped around her neck with a moon pendant and a black bracelet was latched onto her left wrist.

She made her way to the desk in front of the chalk board and spoke up, "Good morning, students." A few students gave her their attention but most continued their conversations. She sighed before sticking two fingers into her mouth and whistling. "Hey!" This time, all eyes were on her, just the way she liked it. Now that the room was quiet, she smiled victoriously – emerald orbs glinting with success. She turned around and took hold of one of the pieces of chalk from the silver railing before spelling out her name on the midnight surface. "For those of you who forgot or just weren't paying attention yesterday, my name is Ms. Bennett and I'll be your Pokemon Habitats instructor for the year."

Ms. Bennett picked up a stack of papers off her desk and approached the rising rows of desks. "I'm handing out the syllabus right now. Take one and pass the rest. If there are any leftovers, pass them towards the middle and I'll collect them. While those are getting passed around, I'll just go over what this class is about. This year, we'll be looking at the different locations that Pokemon can be found in and what kinds of Pokemon can be found there across multiple regions. You won't have to know every Pokemon found in every single route and location, but you will have to know things like the most common type of Pokemon in forests, which would be the bug-type."

A student raised his hand and said, "Ms. Bennett, here are the syllabi."

"Okay, pass them up. Does anyone need one?" After tending to the few students that raised their hands, she began, "Let's go over it quickly. At the top, you have the name of the class, my name, and my email which you can use if you have any question _about the subject_. If you want my personal email, you have to buy me lunch first," she said with a wink.

As Ms. Bennett went over her syllabus, Kari finished setting up her desk. Her pencil box – which was filled with pens, markers, highlighters, white-out, and other useful tools – was placed on the edge, exactly parallel with it, her notebook was turned to a fresh page, and a pencil, eraser, and sharpener were sitting on her left waiting to be used.

"Wow, you're really organized," Alex said, astounded by her preparation. He looked down at the single sheet of paper before him and the old, chewed-up pencil in his hand.

"Well of course, I need to be prepared for _any_ situation."

"Now for the grading," Ms. Bennett continued. "There are no papers to write for this class so your grade is heavily influenced by the two midterms and final that you will have to take." The seeds of distress were planted throughout the class, but she tried to uproot them before they grew into chaos. "Now, now. It really isn't all that bad because the midterm you score lower on will be dropped. You will also be required to turn in homework every Monday that I will assign to you on the Wednesday before. Lastly, you'll get an extra credit opportunity which I will reveal midway through the year." Ms. Bennett continued through her syllabus, talking about grading policy, cheating, and other classroom guidelines.

"Alright, now that that's out of the way, we're just going to go over a few basic concepts for this class. Now, we all know that Pokemon can be found in the wild, but the kind of Pokemon you can catch depends not only on the region you are in, but also the specific location within that region. These specific locations are called ecosystems and the Pokemon found in each one differs from ecosystem to ecosystem. You won't be required to memorize where every Pokemon is found, but you will have to learn, generally, what kinds of Pokemon can be found in common ecosystems and know some examples. For example, can someone tell me what the most common Pokemon that you can find in a cave is?"

Multiple hands were raised, but Kari's was first and she shot it straight up with unbelievable speed and enthusiasm, causing Alex to flinch slightly.

"Yes," Ms. Bennett looked down at her sheet and said, "What's your name?"

"Kari."

"Okay, Kari. What's the most common Pokemon found in caves?"

"That would be bat Pokemon. Now I would say Zubat, but in Unova, they can only find be found in Castelia City's sewers. But then again, you did say most common, so yes, Zubat."

Ms. Bennett did not know how to respond to that at first, but decided that she would just nod. "Yes. Thank you, Kari. So today's lecture will be about the different ecosystems, one of which is caves. Others include forests, plains, marshes, deserts…"

The students transcribed her words into their notes, creating the soft scratching noise of lead meeting papyrus. Chimchar, who was calmly sitting on Kari's lap, looked up to find that her gaze was distant. She was robotically writing down Ms. Bennett's lecture word-for-word, but it did not seem like she was actually paying attention.

"Chim?" he asked timidly.

As if brought back from a trance, Kari rapidly blinked and looked down at her partner before whispering, "What's the matter, Chimchar?"

Alex quietly said, "You okay, Kari?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Just starting to get worried about Mark. He's supposed to be in this class with us and knowing him, he'd go sky diving into Sharpedo infested waters before ditching."

"You think so?"

"I know so. That's why I'm really starting to worr–"

"Kari!" The brunettes snapped their heads to the front of the room to find Ms. Bennett with her arms crossed over her chest. "It's the first day. I can't be _that_ boring," she teased.

"S-sorry, ma'am. I won't interrupt you again." The redhead smiled understandingly and continued her lecture.

* * *

There were only about fifteen minutes of class remaining when a knock at the door interrupted Ms. Bennett's lecture. She opened it to reveal a breathless Mark who was desperately struggling to fill his shriveled lungs with oxygen.

"I'm so…sorry…for being…tardy," he wheezed.

"Oh my, are you okay?" the redheaded instructor asked. "Do you need an inhaler or something?"

He shook his head, "No…I'm okay, thanks." He took an incredibly large breath before finally standing up straight.

"Alright, I'm glad I don't have to call the janitor to clean your off my floor," she teased before moving aside to allow him in. "You're incredibly late, but I don't take attendance – I just teach the material. How well you do in this class is pretty much up to you." He nodded as she handed him a syllabus. "You can take any open seat you can find."

Mark stepped forward and scanned the room to find Alex and Kari waving to him so he could sit down with them. After climbing the aisle and taking his seat, Ms. Bennett continued speaking but Kari cautiously asked, "Why are you late?"

Mark's eyes darted to the side before returning to meet hers. "I…um, I forgot my Poketch so I went back to my room to look for it but it wasn't there. I had to retrace my steps but still couldn't find it so I checked the lost and found. It wasn't there so I had to submit a report." He had to omit a few details like the part where he got his head dipped in the toilet and had to go back to his room to take a shower and change clothing. Luckily for him, Sergio had already left their room when he got there.

"Here you go, dude!" Alex said cheerfully while handing Mark the navy device.

"Thanks," he whispered back.

Kari took notice of Mark's wet hair and pursued the topic, "Why are you wet?"

"Uh…the sprinklers went on while I was looking to see if I dropped it on the grass."

She nodded. Mark was never that good of a liar but for some reason, his responses were actually believable. Something about this whole situation still seemed off but she dropped the conversation, deciding it best to avoid being called on by Ms. Bennett again.

* * *

Kari sat on a bench inside the girl's locker room, tying the neon laces on her running shoes. One of the Poke Balls latched to her backpack shook vigorously and she couldn't help but laugh at Chimchar's attempts to escape. He hated confinement with a passion that burned hotter than his tail but had not yet learned how to break out of his capsule willingly.

She heard an unpleasantly familiar voice come from the other side of the lockers whine, "Ugh! Why is this stupid class even mandatory?!"

Hazel eyes rolled from irritation as the brunette stood up and plucked Chimchar's ball from her backpack. She did not want to stay to hear her _lovely_ roommate vocalize her woes so she quickly exited the locker room but she was in such a hurry that she crashed into someone else, causing both to fall. As she sat on the floor, Kari saw a boy with olive skin and copper hair directly in front of her who looked like he was about to snap until he laid eyes on her.

"I'm so sorry!" she said frantically, scrambling to pick up the textbooks that fell with him.

He shook his head and reached for them as well with a gentle smile and responded, "No, no it's okay." They quickly collected the books and stood up. "You know, it usually isn't this quick that a girl has me falling for her," he joked.

She laughed, seeing his humorous jab at their situation. Her hazel eyes fell upon the book she still held in both her hands and read the title, _Statistics in Life_, and commented, "Wow, you're in Stats? So I guess you're a third year."

Kari handed the book back to him and he responded, "That's a pretty good deduction. Yeah, I'm a third year and I'm glad I'm in Stats. I might be able to figure out the probability of running into such a cute girl." He shot her a confident smile, earning a vivid blush from her. He extended his hand forward and introduced himself, "The name's Jarrel."

She accepted and softly shook it while replying, "Kari."

"Nice to meet you, Kari. I haven't seen you around campus before and I'd definitely notice a pretty face like yours so I'm assuming you're a first year."

She giggled, "You've got some pretty good deduction skills of your own, Jarrel."

"Thanks! Listen, I've got to get dressed for class or Coach Whit is gonna' bite my head off so I'll see you around?"

She smiled and nodded. "Definitely!"

Once Jarrel was gone, Kari proceeded to release Chimchar who expressed how upset he was with her by crossing his arms and turning his back to her. She rolled her eyes, but in a loving manner, and lowered herself to speak to him.

"Hey, are you still mad at me?"

He nodded, "Chim!"

"Aw, you know I couldn't leave you outside your Poke Ball back there. You're a boy and that's the girl's changing room." He stubbornly maintained his stance.

"Hey, you two get in a fight or something?"

Kari looked up to find Sergio approaching them in a simple gray T-shirt and a pair of black shorts. "Hey Sergio," she greeted. "And well, he hates being in his Poke Ball but I had to put him inside while I was in the girl's room." She turned back to her partner and bargained, "Would it make you feel better if I gave you a banana nut muffin later?" Chimchar turned his head slightly and raised an eyebrow. "Okay, _two_ banana nut muffins." This time, he turned fully and cheerfully nodded before swiftly climbing up her body and latching onto her shoulder.

Sergio told the orange ape, "Hey, if you want, you can hang out here with me while Kari gets ready for P.E. from now on so you don't have to be crammed in that tiny ball."

Chimchar's onyx eyes were aimed upwards as he thought through his options. He barely knew Sergio but from the little amount of time he'd spent with him the previous day, the silver-haired teen seemed friendly. Above all, his hatred for confinement earned Sergio Chimchar's trust.

The fire-type nodded his approval and Sergio smiled warmly before saying, "Alright, we can have some bro-bonding," earning a giggle from Kari.

* * *

Alex stood in front of the colossal stadium in the center of campus, admiring the towering monument from its shadow. This was where his Battle Styles and Tactics class would be held, but he could barely fathom the idea that they needed the whole stadium just for one class. Were there really that many students in the trainer program? No, there couldn't have been more than a few hundred students at the banquet the night before. Could there? He really wasn't paying attention to that kind of thing.

An unfamiliar voice asked, "Hey, are you in Battle Styles and Tactics?"

Alex turned to find an adolescent boy with emerald eyes, lighter than his own. This stranger appeared as if his body was dipped in caramel with the exception of his hair which took on an inky color. The messy locks fell down to his neck and were sharpened into a barrier of spikes around his head, held back only by a white headband. His black T-shirt covered his small, but toned, biceps and his gray jeans met the black worn out running shoes on his feet.

"Yup! What about you?"

The raven-haired boy gave him a nod and responded, "Yeah! The name's Riley." He put forth a hand which Alex accepted upon introducing himself. "Nice to meet you, Alex. We should probably go in." Like Magikarp flowing down stream, the green-eyed boys followed the crowd through the corridors and gates that led to the field and bleachers.

Alex was overwhelmed by the inside even more than he was by the outside. There were hundreds of thousands of seats wrapping around the large dirt field in the center however, only the first few rows were being occupied by students and most clustered in a small section of the stadium with a few outliers sitting a few rows up or away from the rest of the class.

Alex knew that none of his friends would be in this class, but he did a once-over of his classmates – many of which, were having conversations – and then down at the field to find a tall, slightly tanned man with dark brown hair combed in a professional manner. He wore a black blazer, slacks, and dress shoes but also a gray T-shirt and a black diamond stud in each ear, which befuddled Alex because his expectation of how a teacher should appear resembled Dr. Boykin's appearance.

"Is that the instructor?" asked Alex.

"Looks like it. He seems pretty lax." Riley slid into one of the rows and took a seat.

"Mind if I sit with you?"

"'Course not!" Riley replied with a smile.

"So what year are you?"

"First. How about you?"

"Same."

"Cool! Where do you come from?"

"Vermillion City in Kanto. And you?"

"Lavaridge Town in Hoenn."

"I've never heard of Lavaridge Town but I have heard that Hoenn's _really_ hot."

"The region is known for its humidity but Lavaridge takes the cake. People go there for only one of two reasons. One is for the hot springs and the other to challenge the gym leader, Flannery. Other than that, it's just a bunch of old people getting even wrinklier in the hot springs." Alex laughed and the two continued talking until the instructor began speaking.

"Alright, so I think we should start now." The remaining conversations began to cease. "You guys in the back, come on closer!" He waved his arms theatrically. Most students did as he said, but there were some stragglers who were fine where they were. "Come on, now guys. Let's come together!" The remaining distant students came closer to him and plopped down onto their seats. "Great! So I'll start by introducing myself. My name is Mr. Querrero. You can call me Mr. Querrero or Mr. Q – whichever you'd like. As you may've guessed, I'll be your Battle Styles and Tactics instructor for the year. For the newcomers, this is actually my first year teaching here so if you're feeling a little overwhelmed, do what I did when I came. Stand up," he raised both of his hands like a conductor.

Alex and Riley looked at each other and decided to play along with their instructor. Mr. Querrero could not tell apart all of the first years from returning students, but enough students had gotten up for him to feel comfortable to continue.

"Take in a deep breath through your nose," he could hear the faint sound of wind flowing into nostrils, "and say, 'YES!'"

"Yes!"

Not all of the students standing did it so he had them repeat the process until he felt that enough were doing it.

"By saying a positive word like, 'yes,' you put positive energy out into the world. And what you put out, you get back. So any time you're feeling sad or intimidated or unsure, just yell 'yes' or something positive and you'll feel better. Okay, so this class is going to be different from the rest of your classes. For one, you don't have to worry about written tests or essays." There was a chorus of cheering and clapping, making the tall man chuckle. "Alright, alright, settle down. You'll still get homework assignments, but they won't be too common. They'll mostly be worksheets to test how well you understand the material I teach. That being said, you will have a midterm and a final in which you will battle either myself or one of the third years which will be acting as T.A's for this class. All battles will be recorded because I'm the only one who decides your grades for the class.

"My lectures will take up about thirty to forty minutes of class time and will be followed by a mock-battle between me and a student – usually a third-year – so I can demonstrate the subject of the lecture in action. Since we're here for almost two hours on Fridays, we'll have more of a hands-on session, which will mostly just be practice. So today, I was thinking that we can just have a few matches as an icebreaker. So who's up first?"

Most of the students raised their hands. The first one that Mr. Querrero saw belonged to a pale boy with greenish-brown eyes and spiked dark brown hair.

"Okay, you and…"

"Me! Me!"

"No, me! Choose me!"

His chestnut eyes fell upon Alex and Riley who were raising their hands wildly like a couple of Vigoroths. How could he not choose one of these boys to battle?

"Alright, the 'Dynamic Duo'. Play Rock-Paper-Scissors to see who wins."

The boys swung their fists down ferociously, "Rock-Paper-Scissors! Rock-Paper-Scissors! Rock-Paper-Scissors!"

"Yes!" Alex cheered. "Rock beats scissors!"

"Darn it!" complained Riley while his new friend eagerly ran down the steps and jumped over the protective railing on the ground level.

Alex approached Mr. Querrero and his opponent to find that the adolescent was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a yellow T-shirt underneath a black and yellow striped hoodie with a hood designed like a Beedrill's head.

"Alright, boys what are you names?"

"Alex Arceo!"

"Chase Kelder."

"I want as many students as possible to get a chance today so are you both okay with a two-on-two?"

"Works with me!"

"Same here."

"Okay, walk to your sides of the field." Once they stood across from each other with the dirt field in between them, Mr. Querrero spoke to the class, "Okay, so this will be a two-on-two match. The winner will be whoever can knock out both of their opponent's Pokemon. Challengers, ready?" Alex plucked one of the spherical devices from his belt and enlarged it, trying to contain his anticipation. Chase did the same and the two stared at each other with unwavering confidence. "Begin!"

The Poke Balls were launched into the air and popped open, accompanied by a blinding white light. Alex's Pokemon of choice was his Pikachu who stood on all fours with a confident smirk to match his trainer's. On Chase's side of the field was a Breloom who was eagerly bouncing up and down. He extended his red fists to jab at the air signifying that he was excited for the battle.

Chase put his hand forward, "After you."

"Gladly. Pikachu, Electro Ball!" A yellow sphere formed on the mouse's tail which he swung to launch the projectile at the mushroom-headed kangaroo. The attack was a direct hit but Breloom seemed to not have taken much damage.

"Alright, our turn. Seedy, use Spore." A cloud of green dust was spewed out from the red openings on the Breloom's head. It fell around Pikachu, inducing sleep. The chubby rat became numb and his body hit the ground. "Leech Seed!" This time, Seedy show out three small seeds which produced vines and wrapped around Pikachu, sapping away his health.

"Oh no, Pikachu!"

"Seedy has to get the health he lost from your Electro Ball attack somehow and Potions are damn expensive," he jested.

Alex put Pikachu's Poke Ball forward with the silver button aimed at him and a red beam rescued the electric-type. He unclipped another and threw it out. "Go, Charizard!"

When the orange lizard landed, the ground beneath him shook slightly. "Wing Attack!" Charizard's wings were cloaked in a blue light as he flew across the field.

"Jump up!" Using his powerful legs, Seedy propelled himself high into the air, dodging the attack in the process.

"Come back around, Charizard!" The fire-type curved around and continued his attack.

Not knowing what else to do, Chase commanded, "Use Spore!" The green powder connected with Charizard, but the dragon-like Pokemon fought the urge to sleep until his wing slammed into Seedy's gut, hurtling him to the ground. With his opponent defeated, Charizard drifted into sleep and crashed down to Earth.

Chase recalled Breloom and sent out his Snorlax. The impact that the large blue normal-type made when she hit the ground was enough to lift Charizard a few centimeters off the ground.

"Kim, use Body Slam!" She jumped into the air and carelessly landed on top of her opponent. The shock caused his eyelids to fling open and bring him back into consciousness, but underneath Kim's weight, he would soon faint.

Charizard frantically struggled to free himself, shooting fire out wildly. While he was under literal pressure, Alex was under figurative pressure as his neurons fired rapidly, trying to come up with a counter-strategy. The answer came to him when one of the Flame Bursts that Charizard was firing off, hit Kim's foot, making her retract it reflexively.

"That's it! Charizard, go nuts with Flame Burst!" Understanding what his trainer's plan, the fire-type spat out flames that exploded upon making contact with the ground and some of those stray embers made Kim fidget enough for him to throw her off. Once free, Charizard soared into the air to get as far away from her as possible. "Now Dragon Rage!" Dark indigo flames built up in his mouth before being shot down at the normal-type. Unable to get away quickly enough, Kim was bathed in the draconic flames. Charizard continued the onslaught until both trainers could feel the small tremor caused by the Snorlax's defeat.

Charizard did a victory lap around the field before landing in front of Alex who celebrated along with him. Mr. Querrero nodded along, impressed by the display, before clapping. When he realized that only he and a few students were clapping, he turned to the class and said "Come on, guys. Both of them deserve a clap for their performance." The majority of the class joined in while the competitors recalled their Pokemon and shook hands in acknowledgement of each other.

"Man, you seriously scared me for a second there. If Charizard went down, you definitely would've won. Pikachu would've been flattened out like a pancake."

Chase laughed, "That was some pretty quick thinking on your part. You definitely deserved that win."

"Thanks! I hope I get to battle you again some time."

"Likewise." The two clasped hands, showing a mutual respect for one another.

* * *

Alex was not very thrilled that his last class would be ending at five in the evening but there was not much he could do about it. Upon entering the room, he found the teacher – a lanky man with ivory skin and dull sapphire eyes. His frizzy sandy hair was tied into a ponytail that barely reached his neck. He adorned a lab coat over a pale green shirt, light gray slacks, and black dress shoes. He seemed to be occupied as his dry, ghostly fingers pummeled his keyboard.

After giving the room a once-over, Alex found his silver-haired roommate sitting at one of the onyx tables, casually listening to the music blaring from the violet headphones on his head. When the second year saw him, he removed the device, letting it rest around his neck, and called Alex over to sit with him.

"Hey, you're in this class?" Alex asked.

"No, I just thought I'd sit here for an hour," he responded sarcastically.

Alex laughed and jabbed back, "You don't know how to spend your free time, then."

"If it were up to me, I'd be playing my guitar right now." Sergio removed his backpack from the seat next to him, allowing Alex to claim it.

"It kind of is. You picked this class, didn't you?"

"I hate Chem. Besides, so did you." Alex stayed quiet. "What?" Still no response. "Missed the deadline to pick your classes, didn't you?"

"I didn't even know we had to pick them!"

Sergio chuckled and shook his head. "The sad part is that I'm not surprised."

"Hey!"

"So how's your day been so far?"

"It's been alright. Habitats and Algebra were whatever but I got to battle in my Battle Styles and Tactics class."

"You battled in a class about battling? No way!" Sergio rested his head on both palms and sarcastically said, "Tell me more!"

Alex couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, smart guy. Don't make it obvious, but you see that guy with the Beedrill hoodie?" Sergio cautiously turned his head and whipped it back to Alex.

"What about him?"

"My Battle teacher let us do a few battles today and I totally whooped him." Sergio could physically see Alex's ego bubble expanding. "He was tough, though. If it weren't for my totally awesome Charizard, I think I would've lost. But of course, my quick thinking saved the day." He proudly tapped the side of his head with his index finger.

Alex's gloating was cut short when he laid eyes upon a golden-haired goddess who was contemplating on where she would sit. She was absolutely radiant and her short stature coupled with her willowy figure gave her a delicate appearance. Her dark gray eyes were somehow…brilliant? It was a strange paradox. They were physically dark but the kindness they emitted made them seem brighter. Her skin had been lightly toasted by the sun, leaving her a slight tan and her golden hair fell just below her shoulders, flowing in waves in some places.

Her outfit was every bit as radiant as she was and added to her appeal. Her black sleeveless shirt hugged her form and a single strap over her right shoulder could be seen under her white jacket, which had light gray accents. Her black skirt revealed her smooth, creamy legs – or at least the small portion that did not adorn her white boots. A small faux diamond was tacked to each ear and a silver chain hung around her neck with a faux circular diamond pendant.

"Dude…" was all Alex could say.

"What?" Sergio asked.

"I think I'm in love."

Dark spheres redirected to the golden maiden, who was now climbing the aisle. As she neared them, Alex smiled at her and said, "Hey there, you look lost. But not as lost as I am in your eyes."

She cocked her head and said, "Je suis terriblement désolé mais je ne parle pas l'anglais." (I'm terribly sorry, but I do not speak English.)

Alex was speechless. He was at a loss for words. He had just hit on a girl that had no idea what he was saying. How could he recover from that? His momentary loss was broken by Sergio's laughter.

The silver teen addressed the girl, slightly uncertain if he was speaking Kalosian correctly, "Il est bon, il va bien. Comment allez-vous, Cherilyn?" (It's good, he's okay. How are you, Cherilyn?)

The girl smiled and nodded, "Ah, bien. (Ah, good.) I am doing, well, Sergio, thank you for asking." Her accent was rather strong, but she spoke clearly.

"Hold on! What just happened? I thought she couldn't speak English. And why do you know her language?"

"Alex, let me introduce you to Cherilyn." The blonde tugged at both ends of her skirt and did a small curtsy. "Cherilyn, this is one of my roommates, Alex. Okay, let me explain. Cherilyn is from Kalos so she was just speaking her native language."

"But she speaks English perfectly fine."

She placed her hands on her hips and responded, "It's a good way to steer guys away, no?"

"I could've easily gotten my four g's back from yesterday if I bet you that you couldn't get her number but then I'd feel bad. Now to answer your second question, I lived in Kalos for about a year working in the regional professor's lab before coming for my first year here. I met Cherilyn in a class we shared last year."

"Ohhhhh. Hey, I still could've gotten her number! Nothing stops me!"

Cherilyn giggled, "No you could not. I'm not just giving it away, you know?"

"Hey Cherry, do you want to sit with us?"

"Oui! (Yes!) I do not see why not."

**Special thanks to:**

**Vioet** for** Kirsty Mira  
X3rn345** for** Jarrel Carrera  
callofduty1994** for** Ms. Bennett  
Will you make it in time** for** Riley Bosque  
The Prince of Light** for** Mr. Querrero  
grimbutnotalways** for** Chase Kelder  
Legolas Dragon Slayer** for** Cherilyn Esme Beauregard**

**Alright, so thank you for reading the revised Chapter 2! I know I cut out some of the more enjoyable parts like Kari slapping Jarrel and a few of the jokes but I honestly feel that this version sets up the following chapters much better. If you can review, let me know what you thought of this chapter and if not, let me know in the reviews of the next chapter! **

**Alright, so that's it for this chapter. See you all next time! Legacy, out!**


	4. Lighthouse

**Told you guys it wouldn't take as long as last time to update! After the refresher you guys got from the revision of last chapter, I feel like you should all be good for this one. If you haven't read the revised version of Chapter 2, I strongly recommend to do so. You will be confused about a scene in here if you don't.**

**Let's respond to some reviews!**

**DJTiki: I'm glad you liked the Kalosian language! I did delete it because I felt there was no need to have it around if I wasn't going to be doing anything with it. I know it's the first story I completed but to be perfectly honest, it wasn't actually complete because the first book was supposed to be the entire first year and I just ended it where I did to feel accomplished. I never intended for a scene that shows Mark being bullied to be in the chapter but the revision actually helped with that too. You'll see what I mean in this chapter.**

**Shinymudkip25: Eric was too Gary-Stu of a character so he had to be replaced. I contemplated on just redoing his personality but I just felt like he wouldn't fit the same way that he did last time. As for Mark and Kari's friendship, I'd like to know how you feel about it after this chapter because it's definitely something I should be conveying better if you're saying that you don't see it.**

**Overused: I'm sorry but I have to reject all of your claims. The first you made is that I am using overused names. Now I read A LOT of Pokemon SYOCs so you must have seen these names in other categories because I've only seen Riley being used a few times (one of my previous stories, which is now under the ownership of emosewa-13, being one of them) and I can see how Kari's name may be common but I've never seen Sergio or Kirsty's names in a Pokemon SYOC. Secondly, you're upset that I'm not using a lot of the OCs I had before and I will agree that a lot of them were very good (The Orre trio, Liam, Ava, and Eden, just to name a few) but you have the same mentality that a lot of Gen-Wunners have. They basically think that Gen 1 is the best and no other gen can top it simply because of nostalgic reasons. Well you see the original characters as far better to these newer ones simply because they came first. I'm sure if their positions were reversed, you'd say that this cast was much better and that the old one was garbage. Then you claim that I just threw away Eden. Number 1: It's been 2 chapters so you don't know which ones were re-submitted and accepted. Number 2: the whole point of this reboot was to separate the people who were still actively reading and the ones who weren't. I will admit that I rejected Liam and Ava's resubmission because they did not fit the story the way it is going to be written. And Number 3: Eden's creator did not even want to resubmit her, she gave me another OC. Do not claim things without knowing if they are true and understanding the circumstances. Finally, you said Alex is supposed to be with Dawn and that Cherilyn is a "wanna-be" character. How dare you bash on another reader's character like that after only seeing her in one scene? Alex isn't SUPPOSED to be with anyone. He is with whoever I set him up with. There are no canon characters as students in the academy so it is impossible for him to be with Dawn. Now I know that I have had a rude tone and honestly, I hope it comes off that way because if you speak to someone in a rude manner, be prepared to be responded to in the same way. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Now we can start over on a fresh clean page and you can give this story an actual chance or you can take this rant to heart. The choice is yours.**

**Legolas Dragon Ranger: I am so sorry for forgetting to put you. I made sure to do it in the revision of chapter 2.**

**The Prince of Light: I'm glad you liked the way I wrote Mr. Querrero. I thought that I was too theatrical with him.**

**Bearer of Sins: I'm curious to know who your first favorite is. And I'm so sorry for removing that scene. I know you liked it but there was no way I could fit it in with the revision. It just didn't make sense to.**

**SteveAnt: He only has a total of three Pokemon and realistically his Charizard had only barely evolved before the beginning of the story putting Pidgeotto and Pikachu's levels in the twenties region so they aren't that strong.**

**Chapter 3: Lighthouse**

Kari stood with her legs spread out and her back slightly hunched as she kept vigilant for the volleyball in play in case it came towards her. She wore her gym clothes like the rest of the girls on the court, however she had a pair of shorts of reasonable length while others should not have bothered wearing shorts at all.

In the corner of Kari's eye, she could see Kirsty sitting on the bleachers surrounded by her posse of fashion-obsessed zombies. The brunette rolled her chocolatey eyes at the sight of her pampered roommate fanning herself and clearly talking about something completely unimportant in any way shape or form while her followers just nodded their empty heads. Kari could almost hear rattling noises coming from them and the thought made her laugh.

Unfortunately, she would not be laughing for long as the ball went over the net right towards her, tattooing its lines onto Kari's olive face. She fell with a thud and while on the floor, could hear laughter, most notably from Kirsty whose obnoxious laughter had already been embedded into her brain.

Alex, Mark, and Sergio, who had been playing other sports or participating in other physical activities inside the gymnasium came to her aid. Chimchar ran up to his trainer from the sidelines to check if she was okay as well. The emerald boy offered Kari a hand, easily picking her up.

"You alright?" Sergio asked.

She nodded, "Yeah, just didn't see that coming."

"Did you space out?" Mark inquired.

Her face lowered but she maintained her gaze as a small smile formed on her lips, "Yeah…a little."

"Hey Kari, are you alright? That was some hit."

She turned to find Jarrel with a concerned look on his face. Kari smiled and nodded at him, putting his worries to ease.

"I'm okay, thanks for asking. Oh! Jarrel, these are my friends, Mark, Alex, and Sergio."

At this point, Mark had inched himself as far away from Jarrel as possible – standing behind his roommates for protection. The third year shook hands with Alex and Sergio, who parted so that he could greet Mark as well.

Jarrel's eyes narrowed and a small grin formed on his face as he put his hand forth and said, "It's nice to meet you…Mark."

The third year's voice played in the crimson boy's head and he was suddenly inside the boy's restroom – his arm on the toilet seat to support himself and his hair dripping wet. Jarrel stood on the other side of the open stall door with his arms crossed, a grin plastered onto his face, and his friends huddled around him. The copper-haired boy threatened, "I hope you learned your lesson because next time, we won't go so easy on you." He turned his back to Mark and began walking but suddenly stopped and simply turned his head to him to say, "Oh, and you better not tell anyone either or else…" With that, he and his posse left their victim defeated, wet, and scared to death.

Mark returned to the present and with a shaky hand, accepted Jarrel's. The third year commented, "Whoa there, are you cold, buddy? You're shaking like crazy."

"N-no. I-I just don't feel too w-well…"

"Maybe you should go to the nurse," suggested Jarrel.

Kari pressed the back of her hand to his forehead and commented, "You don't seem to have a fever. What's wrong?"

"I, um, I was just feeling a bit lightheaded but I'm alright now." He gave her a genuine smile. "Thanks, Kari."

She returned the smile, "Of course."

Jarrel's scheming grin turned into a frown upon seeing how close Mark and Kari were. She made physical contact with him as though it were nothing and the way they smiled at each other was as caring as the gesture could possibly be.

"Hey! What are you all doing just standing around?!" They turned to find Coach Roads approaching them, her chocolate brown ponytail swaying behind her with each step she took. Her eyes were cool like the sea but a raging fire danced against her irises. "You boys get back to what you were doing and Kari needs to get back to her game!"

"Yes ma'am!" they all said, quickly scrambling to escape their instructor's wrath.

* * *

After P.E., Alex, Mark, and Sergio were in the locker rooms changing out of their gym clothes. Chimchar was sitting patiently on one of the benches, swinging his hanging legs from the edge as his coordinator's friends talked amongst themselves.

"Did you guys see that redhead on the volleyball court?" Sergio inquired.

"She was on Kari's side, right?" Alex asked for clarification.

The silver-haired boy nodded, "Yeah that's the one. She's got a really nice body."

"Her chest was kind of small but her butt was nice."

Sergio added, "Oh, and she had a lollipop in her mouth the whole time! You know what that means!" He winked at his roommates.

Alex laughed, "She wants it. You should talk to her, dude."

"She's in your guys' class, isn't she?"

Mark nodded, "Yeah. That doesn't mean you can't talk to her."

"I know but I feel like I need to see her more than once a week to work on her, you know?"

"You don't have her for any other classes?" Mark asked.

Sergio shook his head, "Not that I know of." He shrugged, "Eh, if I find an opportunity, I'll talk to her. So you guys pretty much made it through the first week. Any girls catch your attention yet?"

Alex replied, "Well that Cherilyn girl is pretty cute."

"Yeah, I've seen a lot of guys trying to get her attention but she's a tough one to crack. It's a good thing, though. It just means she respects herself enough to only choose the best for her. What about you, Mark?"

He shook his head, "No, not really."

"Well it's barely the first week. You might end up liking a girl later. Speaking of your first week here, how do you guys like the school?"

"Most of the classes are whatever," Alex replied. "I just can't wait to start battling strong trainers!"

"The classes I have are all really interesting," Mark said. "I'm actually excited to see what's in store, you know?"

Sergio nodded, "Yeah, I get you. Most of the classes here are pretty fair in difficulty. There's just that occasional teacher that wants to make the class a little more difficult to challenge the students. I know Dr. Beatty and Dr. Drake are pretty tough."

Mark asked, "What classes do they teach?"

"Beatty teaches the coordinator class and Pokemon Evolution. I took her Evolution class last year. Me and Aaron are in Dr. Drake's Literature class and I think he also teaches Politics."

"How are they?" Alex inquired.

"Well Beatty is really nice and understanding but her grading is really strict so a certain number of people get a specific grade. I think ten percent got A's, twenty got B's, twenty C's, twenty-five D's, and twenty-five E's. Drake is just kind of really strict in general but if you do the work, you'll do good in his class."

"They sound kind of tough," the emerald boy responded. "Remind me NOT to pick their classes."

"I have to remind you to pick your classes, first," Sergio jabbed.

"How was I supposed to know?!"

Mark responded, "It was in one of the emails they sent."

"I hardly check it."

"It's a good idea to start checking it more," Sergio suggested. "They send news and updates about grades, events, and days off."

Alex's eyes glinted with energy, "We get days off?!"

Mark nodded, "According to the school's calendar, there are a few days off like Champion's Day and the Spring Equinox."

"The Spring Equinox? Kind of a random day, don't you think?"

Sergio clarified, "It's because the Cherry Blossoms come into bloom and there's a big festival in town."

"Ohhh, got ya'! Whatever gets me out of class is alright with me!"

Now that they were all dressed, the three roommates and the Chimchar they were entrusted with exited the locker room to wait for Kari.

"So are you guys doing anything this weekend?" asked Sergio.

Alex shook his head, "No, not really. I was thinking of calling my folks sometime today after class but that's about it."

"I'm not doing much either," Mark said. "I'm probably just going to do some homework."

"Lame. How would you guys like to do a bonfire tonight?"

"A bonfire?" they asked.

"Yeah, Sevilla Beach on Crescent Island has pits for bonfires. It'd be fun to get a bunch of people together to celebrate the end of your guys' first week here."

"We don't know a bunch of people," Mark said.

"Speak for yourself," Alex replied.

Mark rolled his crimson eyes, "You've made _one_ friend other than us, Kari, and Aaron while we've been here."

"You can invite your friend, Alex. I've got some people in mind that I'm going to invite."

"Who?" the brunette asked.

* * *

Cherilyn stood with her feet together and her back straight, only struggling slightly to control her breathing. Her Leafeon, Kaia, tried to maintain her composure as well, but it was harder for her – she was doing all the fighting.

On the opposite side of the zone designated to them on the stage inside Star Academy's Contest Hall was an incredibly tall young woman with mocha skin and curly ebony hair – white highlights could be found throughout it her mane. Her dazzling diamond blue eyes were shining with confidence, complimented by her perfect posture. She wasn't feeling the stress and fatigue from the battle between her shiny Audino, named Gold, and Kaia.

"Would you like to stop, Cherry?" the dark-skinned girl asked – her voice angelic and sweet.

Cherilyn shook her head and responded, "No, I have a strong feeling that today is the day I defeat you, Stacy."

A grin formed on the tall girl's face as she called out, "Then we shall continue! Gold, use Misty Terrain!" The violet Pokemon spun and called out her own name, summoning a light pink mist to cover the field. "Now Psyshock!" Amethyst gems hovered around her, reflecting the sparkling lights of the Misty Terrain, before flying towards Kaia.

The psychic-type attack dug into the Leafeon's fur but her physical defense allowed her to endure the attack.

"Are you okay, Kaia?" The grass-type nodded and barked her response. "Fantastic! Use Sunny Day!" Kaia looked up and barked her name again to create an artificial sun underneath the roof of the contest hall which was every bit of hot and bright as the real sun. "Use Energy Ball!" Using the same strategy that Stacy used, the bright sun illuminated the green sphere more, making it bright enough to slightly blind Gold. The attack connected directly with the normal-type.

"I suppose imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," Stacy responded. Gold stood back up, obviously scratched up slightly, but not enough for her to show the pain. "We can blind you as well. Dazzling Gleam!" The Audino released a bright flash that intensified the sparkling pink mist and knocked the Leafeon out.

Cherilyn sighed from defeat but kept her posture as best as she could as she recalled Kaia into her Poke Ball. Stacy did the same and the two walked to the stands to take a short break from practice.

"That was awfully close," Stacy said.

"Yes, but you seemed to have everything under control. That makes another win for you. Sacre bleu (damn) – oops!" The blonde quickly covered her mouth with her petite hand.

Stacy could not help but laugh at her friend's little slip-up, knowing that the Kalosian girl hardly ever cursed. Cherilyn felt it very unladylike and normally, Stacy would too but she found it adorable when the blonde girl did it. The ebony-haired girl offered her friend a drink from her water bottle, which Cherilyn gladly accepted.

"So what would you like to do after classes?"

Cherilyn responded, "Oh! You just reminded me that Sergio asked if we wanted to go to a bonfire today on Sevilla Beach tonight."

"Of course! That sounds like fun. I'm assuming Aaron is going to be there."

"Yes, as well as Sergio's new roommates and some friends of theirs."

"Text Addie if she would like to go and I will text Vera." The blonde nodded and the two began typing away on their devices.

* * *

Alex had told Riley about the bonfire, exciting the black-haired boy who started going on about trips that he and his dad had gone on and the bonfires that they shared.

"You and your dad are awfully close, huh?"

"Yeah! He's actually the one that got me into Pokemon battling. Haven't beaten him yet, though."

"Haven't beaten me yet either," Alex taunted while rubbing his nose.

"Oh you got lucky in that last battle. Sand got in Flora's eyes."

The brunette placed his hands behind his head and responded, "Well I do have two Pokemon that can beat an Oddish so it didn't make much of a difference."

"You just wait 'til next time! Hey, so are we going to Sevilla Beach now?"

"Well I wanted to call my parents to see how everything is back home. Plus I think we should take swimming trunks just in case we feel like getting in the water. My roommate said he'd handle getting the firewood and food and stuff."

"Alright, let's meet in the courtyard, then?"

"Yeah, sounds good to me."

With that, the two friends went off to their respective dormitories. When Alex reached his room, he found Mark in a pair of white swim trunks with bubble print and a simple T-shirt.

"You look ready to go," Alex commented.

"Yeah, just need to put on some sunblock."

The brunette raised an eyebrow and said, "It's going to be sunset when we get there."

"There are ultraviolet rays everywhere, even when the sun isn't out, so I want to protect my skin."

"If you say so. I'm going to call my parents right now."

"Okay, I'll wait down in the lobby."

The door closed behind Mark and Alex searched for the number to his house phone on the brand new Pokegear that his parents bought him to celebrate his acceptance to the academy.

There were a few rings until he heard a woman's voice answer, "Hello? Alex?"

"Hey mom! Yeah, it's me. Just thought I'd give you a call to let you know I'm doing great and to see how everything is back home."

"It took you long enough!" she snapped.

He held the device away from his ear before pressing it back and apologized, "I'm really sorry, mom. This week's been kind of hectic, you know?"

She sighed, "I know, honey. I just worry is all. So are you liking the school?"

"Yeah, it's awesome! Most of the classes are kind of boring but I have this battle class so I get to take on other strong trainers. I've got a little bit of streak going." He arrogantly rubbed his nose with a finger and despite not being able to see it, his mother knew her son all too well, already picturing him doing it.

"That's great, but remember to do well in your other classes, okay?"

"I know, I know."

"Have you made any friends?"

"Yeah, I get along with my roommates pretty well and I've made a few other friends. We're actually having a bonfire tonight on the main island and one of my roommates is inviting other people so there'll be a lot of us."

"Well aren't you the popular one?"

Alex chuckled, "Well you know how lovable I am. So how's everything at home?"

"Everything's good. Your dad might be getting a promotion at the office."

"That's awesome! Is he there?"

"No. He's at work right now. I'll let him know that you called, though. I'm sure he'd love to call you back. What time is it over there?"

"It's a quarter passed three. How about over there?"

"You're about three hours ahead. It's barely noon over here. Your father doesn't get home until seven so I'll tell him to call you tomorrow."

"I'll probably still be up around ten."

"You don't have to wake up early tomorrow?"

"No. There aren't any classes on Saturdays and Sundays."

"Okay, I'll tell him to call you."

"Alright, thanks mom. I've gotta' go. Love you."

"Love you too, Alex."

The emerald boy clicked and left the device on his bed while he exchanged his blue jeans for a pair of black and red swimming trunks. He packed his backpack with spare clothes, picked up his Pokegear, and went downstairs to meet up with Mark.

* * *

Sergio walked through the aisles inside the super market with a pencil and paper in hand. Aaron was holding a mountain of supplies in his hands as his silver-haired friend said, "Wood, check. Lighter fluid, check. Marshmallows, check. Graham crackers, check. Hey big guy, what kind of chocolate should we get?"

"I dunno, mon but could you do a brudda' a favor and carry it?"

"Sure thing, boss."

"How 'da heck did this place run out of shopping carts?"

"Who said that? I just didn't feel like looking for one."

A vein pulsated in Aaron's forehead, almost bursting out. "You lazy liddle Rattata!"

"Come on, we're almost to the register. You can do it! You can do it!"

Aaron dumped all of their supplies onto the conveyer belt and crossed his arms, intentionally flexing his muscles to intimidate his shorter friend.

Sergio approached the cashier and asked, "How much will that be?"

She responded, "Eight thousand Poke Dollars." Sergio's mouth dropped and he slowly turned to Aaron to ask for half of the cost but his dreadlocked friend was already out the automatic doors leaving him to pay _and_ carry all of the supplies out.

* * *

Alex, Mark, Kari, and Riley made their way through campus, each carrying supplies they would need for the beach inside their backpacks like extra clothes and towels – Riley even brought a football to toss around. Alex was a little disappointed when he saw that Kari was in shorts and a hoodie but his worries were dismissed when she disclosed that she was wearing her bathing suit underneath.

The group got on the bus that travelled to and from the academy and to Alex's surprised, Dr. Boykin was seated inside it. The violet-eyed instructor tore his gaze away from the book he carried and greeted the emerald teen.

"Hey, Dr. Boykin, how's it going."

A smile formed on his pale face as he responded, "I'm well, Alex. Thanks for asking."

"Hi Dr. Boykin," Kari greeted as well. Even Mark waved hello.

"You guys know him?"

Mark nodded, "Yeah, we're in his Astronomy class."

The instructor nodded, "I thought you two looked familiar." He lightly slapped his forehead with his palm. "How could I forget the two students that seem to know all the answers to my questions?"

Riley stomped around, "Aw man! I feel left out! How come I'm the only one that doesn't know this teacher?"

Dr. Boykin laughed before offering the black-haired boy his hand.

"Well then let's put an end to that solitude. My name is Dr. David Boykin. And you are?"

He accepted the handshake and responded, "Riley Bosque, sir!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Riley. And you two are Kari and…wait don't tell me…Mark, correct?"

The ruby-eyed boy nodded, "That's right, sir. If I may ask, what are you doing on this bus?"

"Yeah, are you going home?" Alex asked.

His chocolate locks swayed as he shook his head, "No. All instructors are provided with living quarters on campus. I'm going to Crescent Island for a date."

All of the students looked astonished, making Dr. Boykin laugh. "Yes, I know how shocking it is to find out that teachers have lives of their own. Well enough about me. How have you all enjoyed the academy so far?"

"It's amazing!" Kari responded. "There are so many great things about it!"

"The classes," said Mark.

"The girls," added Alex.

"The battles," continued Riley.

"The girls!" repeated Alex, earning a look from everyone. "What? There are a lot of pretty girls here! You're included in that too Kari." He winked at her and she couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes.

"Okay, you're off the hook because of that compliment," she said.

* * *

Cherilyn and Stacy decided it would be best to buy chips and a few bottles of soda so that Sergio and Aaron did not have to buy everything. The blonde struggled to reach the bag of Flaming Hot Liepoh's on the top shelf, practically standing on the tips of her toe nails, before Stacy simply put her hand forward and handed them down to the short girl.

Cherilyn sweetly responded, "Merci (thank you)!"

"Vera! Stop it!" yelled a short brunette as she ran into the aisle the two girls were in. This third girl was being chased by a fourth who was repeatedly whacking her with a pair of foam water noodles.

"You declared war, Addie!" the taller black-haired girl responded mischievously.

The girl named Addie managed to swipe one of the toys and began retaliating, leaving Cherilyn and Stacy confused.

The tallest girl approached Addie and Vera and took the water noodles from them. "Will you two behave? You are going to get us all kicked out."

Vera pointed a pale finger at the brunette, "She started it."

"All I did was say, 'Hey, these would be fun to play with,' you overgrown Black Spy!"

Vera shrugged and responded, "At least I can ride the big person rides in Galactic World."

"Hey!" whined Cherilyn.

"Oops, forgot you were shorter than her, Cherry."

The petite blonde held her hands behind her back and somberly kicked a can on the floor as she sullenly responded, "I'm not short, you and Stacy are just tall."

Vera shook her head, "No, I'm tall. Stacy's an Amazon."

Stacy sulked by mimicking Cherilyn's action and kicking another misplaced can. "I'm not an Amazon, I am just big-boned." As the quartet made their way to the registers, Stacy asked Vera, "You are going to the beach dressed like that?"

The pale, steely-eyed girl was dressed in all black from her T-shirt to her jeans to the ankle-length trench coat with the only color coming from the Rubik's cube attached to her silver belt. She simply shrugged and responded, "I have my bathing suit under. You're one to talk, 'Diamond'."

Stacy had gotten used to her nickname by now and even took great pride in it. She earned it on account of all the diamonds she wore. Her black mini-vest had diamond-colored buttons, the back pockets on her black dress shorts were bejeweled with fake diamonds, and her accessories included a small blue diamond plug in each ear, a white diamond bracelet, and a diamond necklace. Her cream-colored blouse, cream rose leggings, and black church shoes were the only articles with diamonds. The silver piercing through her left philtrum was also a nice change from all of the diamonds.

The tall ebony-haired girl replied, "Well a coordinator must look her best wherever she is." Her tone was so proper it was unbelievable that it actually existed. "Besides, my bathing suit is also underneath."

"I guess," said Vera. "How about you, Cherry?"

Cherilyn unzipped her white jacket to reveal that she was only wearing a black bikini top underneath. Her bikini bottom was underneath a simple pair of jeans.

"Well isn't that classy?" Stacy commented, referring to the white rose outline on Cherilyn's breast.

"Someone's trying to get it," Addie teased.

"Addison!" the blonde complained as she quickly zipped her jacket back up. "W-well what about you? What are you wearing?"

Addie's swimsuit was also underneath her clothes. She wore a simple red T-shirt, a pair of jean shorts, and her favorite white, black, and orange running shoes. Two leather anklets could be seen because of her short socks and a silver bell-shaped locket hung from her neck.

"Nothing," the brunette responded with a wink.

* * *

When they reached the island, Alex and the others said goodbye to Dr. Boykin and wished him luck on his date. They took one more bus before arriving at Sevilla Beach where they found Sergio and Aaron waiting at one of the bonfire pits, a fire already dancing inside it. Aaron was seated on one of the stumps surrounding the pit while Sergio was strangely laying on a towel as if he was passed out.

"Uh, is he okay?" Kari asked.

"Oh ya, he just had a nice work out right now."

Sergio instantly sat up and pointed at him, "You owe me four thousand Poke Dollars you Girafarig!"

Aaron waved him off, "Just ignore him. Have a seat wherever you want. You guys want someting to eat? We have hotdogs, smores…hotdogs."

"I'm okay for now, big guy." Kari sat down next to her dark-skinned friend and opened her handbag to pull out a bag of berry-flavored candies.

"Hey, Aaron," Alex said. "This is my friend, Riley. I met him in my Battle Styles and Tactics class."

Aaron shook the first year's hand, "It's nice to meet ya, brudda. Come on an make yaself comftable!"

"Nice to meet you too! I haven't seen you in our battle class so that means you're not a trainer, right? Come to think of it, I haven't seen any of you in that class."

Alex explained, "Well Aaron and Mark are breeders, Kari's a coordinator, and Sergio is a lazy bum."

"Am not!" he yelled, but his reluctance to even sit up said otherwise.

"I'm just playing, he's a researcher."

"Awesome! Kind of thought you'd have more trainer friends, though Alex. I was looking forward to battle someone."

"We got a couple trainer friends on der way," responded Aaron.

"Speak of the devils," added Sergio, who was now standing up. He waved over to Cherilyn and the others and gave both the short blonde and the very tall dark-skinned girl a hug. He hadn't known Addison for too long so he simply waved to her and he already knew Vera preferred to clasp hands. After a few short introductions, the entire group sat around the bonfire, roasting sausages and marshmallows and talking amongst themselves.

Riley asked, "So you guys are all trainers?"

Cherilyn shook her head, "No, Stacy and I are coordinators. Vera and Addie are trainers, though."

"Were you looking for a battle, squirt?" Vera asked while savagely biting a piece of sausage off, her face as solid as a Bastiodon's.

Her intimidating behavior shot fear into Riley, causing him to quickly shake his head, "No ma'am!"

That is until Vera spat out the piece she ripped out and rapidly wiped her tongue, "Ugh! It wasn't cooked right!" This earned a laugh from the group.

Sergio turned to Stacy and said, "I see that you're as presentable as ever. I don't see your Mega Glove though."

"I didn't think that I would need it. After all, we're just having a bonfire, right?"

"You have a point there."

Mark asked, "What's a Mega Glove?"

Sergio slapped his forehead, "That's right, I never told you guys about my research. Well you see the stone on my necklace?" He lifted the treble pendant to give everyone a closer look.

"Yeah," responded the ruby boy.

"Stacy has one as well but she keeps it on a glove. This stone is called a Key Stone and it is one of the necessities for a Pokemon to Mega Evolve."

Alex and Riley shot up from their seats and crowded Sergio. "What's Mega Evolution?" they asked in unison.

Sergio pushed the two boys away to give himself breathing room and yelled, "I'll tell you if you don't do that again!"

"Yes sir!" they both saluted and sat down on the sand with their legs crossed like a pair of kindergartners.

"Okay well you guys know how when a Pokemon becomes stronger, it evolves, right?"

Kari nodded, "Yes, there are three stages of evolution. Basic like my Chimchar, Stage 1 like Mark's Prinplup, and Stage 2 like Alex's Charizard."

"That's exactly right, however some Pokemon in their last forms can unlock power hidden deep inside of them and unleashing that power causes them to transform into their Mega forms and that's what Mega Evolution is."

"Are you saying my Charizard can evolve one more time?!"

"Well he can transform into his Mega form but he can't stay in it for too long because merely using this power puts a strain on both the Pokemon and the trainer. You see, there are three requirements to Mega Evolution. The first is that the trainer must have a Key Stone like this one. The second is that the Pokemon must have its corresponding Mega Stone. In Stacy's case, it would be Audinite for her Audino. Only a handful of Mega Stones have been discovered so far, meaning that only some can evolve."

"Can any of my Pokemon Mega Evolve?" Alex asked.

"What about mine?" added Riley.

"Or mine?"

"How about mine?"

"Enough! I'm not going to look through everyone's Pokemon to see who can Mega Evolve and who can't. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure of all of them myself."

Alex taunted, "And they're paying _you_ to research this stuff?" Before Alex knew it, he was rubbing the back of his head, almost sure that a bump was forming.

"It's not like I have an arsenal of Pokemon and a bunch of Mega Stones to figure it out!"

Riley replied, "But you do have _one_, don't you?"

He nodded, "The first Pokemon I ever caught."

"Can I battle it?" the black-haired boy asked.

"No fair, I want to go up against it!" Alex said.

Riley rebutted, "You got to battle Chase on the first day of class!"

"You can both battle me."

"But you're a researcher," said Riley.

"True, but I used to be a trainer. I am a little rusty, but I think it's fair to say that I'll only use Mega Evolution if I need to."

"Wait," Kari interjected. "You said there were three requirements. What's the third?"

Sergio stood up and merely smirked, "You're about to find out. You two ready?" The emerald-eyed boys nodded. "Call out your best Pokemon."

"Go Charizard!"

"Let's go, Flora!" Riley's Pokemon of choice was his Oddish.

Sergio grinned, "Oh you two are going to make this way too easy. Slowbro, I choose you!" The large pink water/psychic-type landed on the sand with a thud. A leather hat was strapped to his head with a pink and cream-colored gem lodged inside the hat in the center of his forehead. His wide eyes held a lost look, causing Alex and Riley to burst out into laughter.

Riley shouted, "What a stupid-looking Pokemon!"

Alex's laughter was interrupted when he suddenly realized something. "Wait, you said this is the first Pokemon you ever caught. Does that mean you're from Kanto?"

Sergio nodded, "That's right, straight from Cerulean City."

The emerald-eyed brunette looked to his partner, "Riley, we definitely can't lose this now."

He nodded, "Wasn't planning on it from the beginning."

"I'm a bit outnumbered so I'll make the first move. Slowbro, use Water Pulse on Charizard!"

"Fly up!"

The sphere of water traveled over the sand but Charizard managed to get out of the way and even throw up some sand with his powerful wings. Unfortunately, Flora was standing too close and was not only blown back, but she also got sand stuck in her eyes.

"Oddish! Odd!" she cried angrily.

"Alex!" Riley whined. "What was that?!"

"S-sorry! I kind of forgot she was there."

"Hope you didn't forget that we were here, though. Slowbro, another Water Pulse." The pink Pokemon shot another water sphere, but Charizard was able to dodge it again.

Alex taunted, "You'll never hit us like that! Charizard, Wing Attack!" With blue energy cloaking his wings, the fire/flying-type flew towards Slowbro.

"But we will like this. Use Yawn!" Slowbro opened his mouth to release a loud yawn and a small bubble came out of his nose, making contact with Charizard. Slowbro was knocked back, but not out. His physical defense was much too high for one Wing Attack to defeat him.

"You feeling alright, Charizard?" The winged beast's eye lids started feeling heavy but he shook the feeling off and nodded towards his trainer. "Great! Use Dragon Rage!"

Riley shouted, "Join in and use Absorb!" A small glowing green tentacle reached out from Flora and wrapped around Slowbro before the Weed Pokemon started sapping away his health. Blue flames shrouded Slowbro, adding to the assault, but Sergio remained calm.

Charizard's eyelids began closing without his consent and the intensity of his attack weakened until he fell over, completely asleep.

"Charizard! What happened?!"

"Do you remember the attack my Slowbro used before? It's called Yawn and if it connects, your Pokemon will eventually fall asleep and it won't know when or where it'll happen. Now that we only have Flora to deal with, Slowbro, use Psychic." The water/psychic-type's eyes began glowing blue and Flora was soon surrounded by a thin layer of the same color. She was lifted into the air and slammed down onto the sand.

Riley clenched his fist, "Flora! Are you okay?" Surprisingly, the grass/poison-type managed to endure the super-effective attack but was struggling to get up. Once she was up right, she began glowing brightly.

"She's evolving!" said Cherilyn.

When the light faded, a dark blue Pokemon with orange leaves and a reddish-brown flower on her head was left in the Oddish's place.

"Gloom!" she said happily.

"G-gloom?" Riley stuttered. "Flora, did you evolve?! This is awesome! Alright Sergio, the real battle begins now! Flora, use Sleep Powder! Let's see how they like getting put to sleep."

Sergio noticed Alex yelling at Charizard to wake up as loud as he possibly could and the researcher thought to himself, _This is bad, Charizard's going to wake up soon and we'll be back on defense_. "Slowbro, Psychic on the Sleep Powder!" The green dust was kept floating before Slowbro simply dropped it onto the sand – its potency to be lost forever.

"Got ya'! Flora, Mega Drain!" A couple larger energy tentacles wrapped around Slowbro to eat away more of his health.

"Mega Drain?"

Riley nodded while holding up his Pokedex. "Flora learned it with her evolution."

"Slowbro, Slack Off." Listening to his trainer's command, Slowbro clumsily sat on the ground and rested for a bit. "Feeling better?"

He stood back up and responded by eerily saying, "Broooo…"

"I'll take that as a yes. Psychic again!" Slowbro lifted Flora again, raising her several feet off the ground but just as he was about to slam her again, he was hit by blue flames.

Sergio looked to find Alex with a confident grin and Charizard flying towards Slowbro with a Wing Attack, knocking him down again. The fire lizard circled back around to prevent Slowbro from standing back up over and over again. With each hit, Alex shouted, "Show! Us! Mega! Evo! Lution!"

"Slowbro, stay down!" He was about to get up but laid himself out instead. He had no problems with this command. He loved lying down anyway. As Charizard passed by, Sergio called, "Psychic, now!" The fire-type was held above Slowbro and then thrown elsewhere so that the water-type could rise. "Alright, alright, you guys win. I'll show you Mega Evolution." The emerald duo began celebrating together. "Do you guys see the stone on Slowbro's forehead? That's his Mega Stone and it's called Slowbronite. Kari!" The brunette sat up straight upon hearing her name. "You asked what the third requirement is…" He held his Key Stone before him and continued, "The trainer and Pokemon must have an unbreakable bond!"

He pressed the colorful stone and beams of yellow energy sprang from it, connecting to the beams of blue energy coming from the Slowbronite. As they connected and intertwined, the energies created a blinding light and once it faded, Slowbro had been transformed. The large shell on his tail had completely consumed him leaving only his arms, head, and the tip of his tail visible. This new appearance made Alex and Riley laugh even harder.

"He looks even dumber!" Alex yelled.

Sergio smirked, "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to judge a book by its cover? Water Pulse!" Slowbro opened his mouth and unleashed not just one Water Pulse, but a barrage of them, which hit Charizard before he could even hope to escape. The fire/flying-type was easily defeated.

"What the?! Charizard! Get up!"

"Psychic." Slowbro lifted Flora and instead of dropping her back on the ground, sent hundreds of feet away.

"Flora!" Riley ran as fast as his legs would allow him and slid to a stop next to his Pokemon to find that she was unconscious. His eyes trembled from witnessing such power. Slowbro was able to attack with multiple Water Pulse attacks and then easily follow-up with a Psychic attack. Riley turned his head to find Slowbro reverting to his normal form and mindlessly taking a seat.

"T-that's incredible!" said Mark. "What happened to Slowbro?"

Stacy answered, "His hidden power was unlocked. Even though Mega Slowbro's strength is his physical defense, his special attack is no joke either."

After the battlers recalled their Pokemon, Alex exclaimed, "That was so awesome! I have to get a Pokemon that can Mega Evolve!"

"Me too!" joined Riley. "Then we can have a rematch!"

Sergio shook his hands in defense, "Guys, I'm not a real trainer anymore. If you guys just strengthen your Pokemon, each of you should easily be able to take out my Mega Slowbro."

Alex responded, "Yeah, but there are other trainers that can Mega Evolve their Pokemon, right?" Sergio nodded. "Then that means I need it to get stronger or I'll never become the best."

"Wasn't going to happen anyway with me around," Riley teased.

"You want to go?"

"Bring it!"

Their argument stopped when Kari left each of them with a bruise on their heads.

"Ow! Kari, you hit me on the bump I already had!" complained Alex.

* * *

After splashing around in the water, playing a couple games of football, and burying each other in the sand, the group sat around the bonfire, just talking. Everyone lent their ears to Aaron as he told them a story about a fishing trip he once took.

"So me and mai fadda had been on da boat for seven hours when it came into sight."

"What was it?" Cherilyn asked.

Vera contemplated, "A five-headed Milotic? An army of flesh-eating Lotads? Oh! Oh! I know! It was Arceus!"

"Pssh," Sergio responded. "Arceus is just a figure head that established religions use to explain things they don't understand and a source for them to pray to instead of facing their problems themselves."

"That's an incredibly pessimistic view of religion, don't you think?" Stacy asked.

"I like to call it realism."

Aaron waved his friend off, "Anyway, what we saw was a massive island but it was weird because der was some sort of red light comin' from da top. We were both curious so we climbed all da way up and dat is where saw it – a golden ring wit a weird purple aura comin' fraum it. In front of it was a Pokemon I had neva seen before. It was small wit two tails and a round yella head. It was like someting out of a dream, I tell ya!"

"Why does that sound familiar?" Kari asked herself out loud.

It was obvious that Mark was thinking hard about it too. He pressed his fist against his lips and aimed his eyes at the crackling flames in front of him.

"It's the legendary Pokemon, Uxie." All eyes turned to Addison who had been mostly quiet during their time there.

"Guess you can speak," taunted Sergio, but she just ignored him.

"That's the guardian of Lake Acuity near Snowpoint," explained Mark. "How do you know about it?"

"I'm from Veilstone," she replied matter-of-factly.

"So it's a legendary Pokemon from Sinnoh?" Riley asked.

Kari nodded, "But that doesn't explain what it was doing in Hoenn."

"You sure that it wasn't a couple Chimechos?" Sergio remarked.

Aaron shrugged, "'Dunno, coulda' been."

"Well what happened next?" asked Cherilyn.

"If I rememba correctly, whateva it was sensed us and went through da ring. Afta dat, poof! Da ring disappeared and dat was de end of dat. Anyone else got anodder story?"

A mischievous smirk spread across Sergio's face as he responded, "I've got a ghost story."

"Bring it!" Alex challenged. He stood up from his seat and sat down on the sand next to Cherilyn. "Don't worry, if you get scared, I'll be here to protect you." She simply giggled and rolled her eyes.

Sergio clapped his hands together once and said, "Alright, it's time! You guys see that lighthouse over there? It's awfully tough to find because it doesn't work anymore but it's there." The group followed his finger to find a dark tower standing on the edge of a cliff.

"What about it?" asked Riley.

"Well there's a legend behind it about the spirit of a girl that haunts it. The legend starts like this: back when the city was still under construction, this island was a major pit stop for trade between Hoenn and Unova so the lighthouse was built to signal ships. During the early days of this city, back when it was just a pub, there was a girl known throughout the small town for her incredible beauty. Her skin was as white as ivory and her hair as dark as the night sky. It flowed down her body in waves. Her eyes were as clear as diamonds and her lips were a ruby red. Her name was Carrie and she was constantly asked by men to marry them.

"One day, a sailor came to the island because his ship needed to restock on supplies. This man was incredibly generous and so during his stay, he would help everyone and anyone in any way he could. Unfortunately, his generosity ended up making him miss his ship. During his time on the island, he had helped Carrie a few times so she offered him to stay in her house until the next ship came for him. During his time there, the sailor had fallen in love so he asked her out on a date and she accepted. The date went great and they ended it with a stroll on the beach, right through where we're sitting right now until they reached the lighthouse."

"He pushed her off, didn't he?" Addison interrupted.

"Would you let me finish the story?" She opened her palms, gesturing for him to continue. "As I was saying, he told her that he loved this lighthouse and she asked why. His response was that it was because it led him to her."

Some of the girls let out an "Aw."

"Anyway, when the ship finally came for him, he didn't get on it because she was pregnant with his child and the two went on to have a second child after that. He loved it on the island so he wanted to stay. At first, it was because of Carrie, but after a while, he loved the island for all the beautiful women that he began sleeping with. One night, Carrie found out and in blind fury, she took her kids to the lighthouse where she fell in love with him and tossed them into the rock-infested waved below." There were gasps so he explained, "I guess she figured that he had thrown away the love that they shared so there was no point to keep their children. They were a mistake that she felt needed to be erased. Or at least that's how she felt until a few seconds passed for her to realize what she had done. Even though she was the one who threw her children off the cliff, she blamed her husband because it was his affairs that led her to do such a thing so she went to go look for him and when she found him, she killed both him and the girl he was sleeping with. After that, the officials chased her down until she reached the lighthouse where she was shot and killed, her lifeless body falling off the cliff.

"Time passed by and eventually the lighthouse was no longer in use, replaced by a newer one up the beach, but every once in a while, the light will turn on but it's impossible for anyone to get in because of the barb-wired fence surrounding it. People say that on those nights, Carrie comes back and if someone goes near the lighthouse, they are never seen again, rumored to be thrown off the cliff. That is the legend of Bloody Carrie."

Addie stated curtly, "That story was lame. You'd have to be a total pussy-meowth to be scared of that."

"You take that back!" threatened Alex as he came out from cowering underneath the towel Cherilyn was using to combat the ocean breeze. She hadn't even noticed this until that moment.

"Um, what's that?" pointed out Stacy. To their surprise, the dark tower was flashing a beam of light out into the ocean.

"It's Bloody Carrie!" yelled Vera. "We're all going to die!" This startled Alex, Mark, Riley, and Chimchar and the five of them began running around aimlessly and screaming wildly.

Addison was getting annoyed so she yelled, "It's not Bloody Carrie. Someone's probably doing maintenance.

"But Sergio said there is no way in," responded Cherilyn.

"Well how does he know that?"

"I've checked it out myself," he responded. "Aaron came with me too and the fences are actually pretty tall and there's no gate."

"That's probably because you're so short," teased Vera.

"We're the same height!"

"Someone could use a flying-type to fly over," reasoned Addison.

Sergio disproved her theory, "There isn't enough room for any flying-type big enough to carry an adult to land there. The fence is pretty close to the building."

"Well regardless, I do not think it is any of our business," said Stacy. "It is getting late. We should go back to campus so we are not late for curfew."

"Ya, dat sounds like a good idea. We should start packing up."

As the group gathered and put away their supplies, Alex approached Cherilyn and said, "Hey, pretty dumb story, huh?"

She rolled up her towel and responded, "It was definitely an entertaining one."

"Right, right. You know, I wasn't scared or anything. I was just behind you to make sure no one tried to scare you or anything. Usually when someone tells a story like that, someone else comes up from behind one of the unsuspecting suckers."

Cherilyn finished closing her handbag and said, "Well then, I appreciate the heroism." She gave him a smile and he could see the reflection of the swaying flames in her metallic eyes. He was left looking after her as she walked off with her friends.

As the quartet walked, Addison remarked, "Well that was a lame attempt to try and pick you up. You don't actually buy that he wasn't scared, right?"

The blonde giggled, "Of course not, but there's no harm in humoring him, right? Besides, he's a very nice guy."

Mark and Kari walked side-by-side when the brunette said, "You were awfully brave during the story. I thought you hated scary movies and scary stories and all that jazz."

"Are you kidding me, I need to change my pants," he joked, getting her erupt into laughter. She pushed him playfully and he came back to push her back.

"I hope a ghost-type comes and takes you in your sleep."

"I hope it takes Alex instead."

"I'd give anything for it to take Kirsty."

"Oh yeah, how's that going?"

"I'm living with the Giritina incarnate, how do you think?"

_No, you've got Darkrai to deal with because she haunts you but I've got the real Giritina incarnate because I'm the one living in his Distortion World._

**Special thanks to:**

**DJTiki** for **Stacy Ivoran**

**callofduty1994** for **Addison Elizabeth Bryant**

**Limeade Space Doritos** for **Vera Blake**

**I hope you guys are all enjoying Aaron's accent and the way I write it because that is definitely the hardest part about writing his character. I can't have him say "the" or "that," he has to say "de" or "dat." I have fun writing him though because of his personality.**

**I can already see the wheels turning in all of your heads after reading what was discussed in this chapter. Also, you may now begin shipping couples because you're all going to anyway. Now like I said in the last chapter, if you could not review the revised Chapter 2, feel free to review both it and Chapter 3 at the same time. If you don't have much to say about the revision and you want to talk about just Chapter 3, that's perfectly fine too.**

**QOTD: Favorite generation of games and why. I'll answer this question myself at the beginning of next chapter.**

**I hope you all enjoyed it and I'll see you all next time! Legacy, out!**


	5. Buddies

**A wild chapter appeared! Now I told you I wouldn't keep you waiting that long for the next chapter, right? What was it, like a week and a half? I expected it to come out sooner but friends are a thing and we're on summer break so, yeah. My favorite generation was 4****th**** gen because I didn't play 2****nd**** or 3****rd**** and as soon as it came out, I picked up a copy of Pearl and loved the game. The Pokemon were great, the graphics are still pretty nice even with 6****th**** gen out now, and it was the first time I beat the champion so it'll always have that nostalgic value.**

**By the way, I'd like to give a HUGE thanks to DJTiki for the lovely cover art for this story. Isn't it neat? Now for some responses to reviews:**

**OPFan37: No worries in regard to how long it took you to write a review. Thank you for the support and thank you for saying such nice things, it really means a lot. BUT I'm not okay with you putting yourself down, buddy. I'm not perfect and neither is my work. I just try my best to write something that I can be proud of and I want you to just start trying your best in whatever you do, okay?**

**Vioet: Please don't faint from fangirling. Lol.**

**Martyn: I'm always up for recommendations from readers because the plot isn't set in stone, but I don't really see how Alex losing weight would be relevant. He isn't even overweight.**

**Legolas Draon Ranger: Well that's the whole point of an SYOC. It's to get the readers involved so it can be something we work on together. Sure, I may change things or leave some things out from the characters submitted, but the story wouldn't be the same if I made all of the characters myself.**

**DJTiki: I read through Chapter 3 like literally a few minutes before you hmu earlier and yeah, I see what you mean with KISS. Most of it was in the first two sections. I honestly found the rest of it fine in terms of level of vocabulary. Maybe a few words might be advanced like "potency" but I mean if you (in general) don't know a word when you're reading a textbook for a class in college, you can't just be like "I don't get this word so I'm just going to skip it." No, you need to know it so you can understand the material better. But I get what you mean though. It was mostly my use of the word "inquire" at the beginning in place of the word "ask" when a character is about to speak. I do that because I don't want to say "ask" twice in a row and haven't found a good substitute.**

**Overused: I'm glad you wrote the first and last sentences of your review because it lets me know exactly the kind of person you are. Now, I will hand it to you that some of the names are common and that I did use a few higher-level words (although you were exaggerating when you said that I was overusing them). I read through the chapter and there were only a handful of instances. Now in regards to the rest of your comment, at this point, you're obviously just here to spite me and it's unfortunate that you chose the latter of the two choices I gave you. I'm no longer responding to any hateful comments that you leave to me or my readers and instead will delete the comments. You are more than welcome to leave your opinion and give me CONSTRUCTIVE criticism like what I need to work on in my writing but not if you are just going to talk trash. Nobody needs that.**

**callofduty1994: That's a big thing that me and my friend poke at so it was easy for me to write it.**

**I am not high: Trust me, I love her too, especially after this chapter. She might get on your nerves at some point, though. I wouldn't read too much into the conversation Sergio and the others had in the locker room. That was all it was, just guys talking in the locker room.**

**Chapter 4: Buddies**

_White. Everything was white. The ground was white. The trees were covered white. The sky…it wasn't white. It was blue. But not just a normal blue. It was vibrant and deep just like the ocean it received its color from. But white still fell from it. It melted against his skin, causing him to shiver upon contact._

_He heard a girl's voice. She was much older than him. Her silky black hair fell over her shoulders from underneath the beanie she wore to protect her hair from the falling snow. A scarf was neatly wrapped around her neck and she wore clothing typical for snowy weather._

_Her blood red eyes held warmth that was rivaled only by their mother's, filled with a love for life and compassion for others. She reached out to him and he soon felt her arms around his small body. It wasn't just her eyes. Even with the world around them frozen, warmth radiated off her and he found himself burying his face into her scarf._

_Suddenly, he felt her head hang onto his shoulder and she no longer felt warm. She felt colder than the snow beneath their feet. He was now supporting her weight as her arms fell to her sides and her legs turned to noodles. With all the strength he could muster, he held her away from him to find her eyes wide. Eyes which were once filled with love and empathy now only emitted fear and pain. _

_His pants started sticking to his legs as if they had been wet. When he looked down, there was no longer any white. Everything was…red._

* * *

Mark sat up from his bed, crimson eyes shaking with fear and his skin lathered in sweat. His chest expanded and deflated with each breath as he tried to regain control of his body. Once he realized that he was awake and in his dorm room, his breathing steadied. He turned to his right to find that Sergio was still asleep and he did not even both checking if Alex was. He already knew the answer to that.

Instead, Mark let himself fall against the rather rigid mattress beneath them. For a school that made hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, they were quite frugal when it came to the beds. The boy's soft pillow cushioned the impact, though – compensating for the comfort that the bed could not provide on its own. His ruby eyes were locked on the bed frame straight above him that held his roommate's bed above his own as he attempted to make sense of the dream – or rather, nightmare – that he just awoke from. Unfortunately, he did not have enough time for that once he realized what he had to do that day. He checked his Poketch and groaned when he saw that he was going to be late.

Without much choice, Mark forced himself out of bed, readied himself, and left his roommates – and he did all of that as quietly as he possibly could.

* * *

Kari sat on a wooden bench outside of the Uxie Library, her ankles crossed, as she watched Chimchar chase the Pidoves he would find in the area. It was fifteen passed eight at the time so there were already some students walking around, most were headed to the bus stop to go to Crescent Island. She and Mark had agreed to meet at eight but apparently Alex had, through sheer reflex, thrown Mark's alarm clock against the wall because he found it obnoxious. How he made it down the ladder and to Mark's nightstand without coming to his senses was beyond her but it sure made her laugh when they told her about it the day before.

The brunette looked up at the sky to find a few large clouds drifting on by. She had always found the sight of puffy white clouds absolutely mystical – even otherworldly. It gave her the feeling that Arceus was standing atop them, looking down at all it had created.

"Hey, you're up early."

Kari was brought out of her thoughts by the silver-eyed third year that stopped by to talk to her. The sweaty shirt and shorts informed her that he had been running. She smiled up at him and greeted, "Hi, Jarrel! So are you."

"True, but I figured that you got a lot of sleep to stay that beautiful."

She giggled, _Did I just giggle_? "Well, you're wrong there."

A low chuckle escaped his lips. "I guess so. You're really studious, aren't you? It's a Saturday morning and you're here at the library."

She slyly responded, "For all you know, I could just be waiting here for someone."

"Are you?"

"Yeah, I'm waiting for Mark so we can do our homework."

His smile faltered slightly, but it went unnoticed.

"That's good. You and Mark…you guys are _awfully_ close, aren't you?"

Kari did not catch the hidden meaning in his choice of the word 'awfully'. She nodded, "Yeah, our dads have been friends ever since they served together for Sinnoh's army. They're really close and to their surprise, they both managed to have kids the same year. I'm sure they would've liked me and Mark to be of the same gender, but we get along great so it all worked out. Besides, Mark's close enough to a girl," she joked.

Jarrel laughed, a little too loudly, and responded, "So you guys basically grew up together like brother and sister, huh?"

She tilted her head from side to side, "Well yeah, basically. Our families go to each other's parties and barbecues and stuff. And whenever my parents were busy, his parents would let me stay at their house and vice versa."

"I guess it's nice coming here with someone you already know. It eases the stress of meeting new people."

"Yeah, definitely! We also traveled around Sinnoh a bit for my contests so we're both used to living without our parents."

"Let me guess, he took on the gym challenge while you went to the contest halls."

She shook her head, "No, he's not a trainer. He's a breeder so he joined me to help groom my Pokemon. He even bred me a Hippopotas at a day-care during our journey."

"Wow, your own personal breeder. Isn't that a handy thing to have?"

"Well, it's not like I have a team of fully bred Pokemon. It's just the one."

"Still, you know what advantage there is to breeding right?"

"Uh huh, a Pokemon can inherit an egg move from its parents."

"Yeah, and some moves can only be learned through breeding."

"My Hippopotas doesn't have any egg moves, but that's completely fine with me. I'm just glad to have him around."

Jarrel noticed the gleam in her eye when she talked about her Pokemon telling him that she cared deeply about them – something he would keep in mind for later.

"That's good. Well, it was nice talking to you, Kari. I'll see you later?"

"Definitely!" With that, they waved goodbye to each other and he walked off.

* * *

Sweat dripped off of Mark's lightly tanned skin as he ran through campus with the Uxie Library as his destination. He held a steady jog, not in too big of a hurry, but knew that Kari's patience could only last for so long.

_Alex owes me an alarm clock! Who throws one against the wall just because the ring is 'annoying?!' Still…I'm not sure if I'm happy that that dream woke me up._

As he passed by the Geology building, a hand reached out to pull him into the small alley between it and Lab building. He felt the hand slam him against the brick wall behind him. Ruby eyes focused on an olive-skinned figure that held him firmly in place. To make sure he did not squirm his way out, a Samurott stood next to Jarrel with one of his blades drawn.

"Yo, Mark! How's it going?" Mark's eyes fell – this is the last person he wanted to spend his Saturday morning with. Jarrel eased his hold so Mark would come a little closer and pushed him back against the wall. Hard. "I asked you a question, man."

He kept his head low, but he aimed his eyes at Jarrel and responded, "Good."

A smirk formed on the older boy's face, "That's good to hear! I just finished having a talk with our friend, Kari, and I just heard the most interesting thing. Why didn't you tell me that you were a breeder?"

"You didn't ask."

He chuckled, "Yeah, you're right, but it's useful information. See, my Hydreigon kind of knocked up a buddy's Charizard and I need a breeder to help her lay it. That's where you come in. So how about you help a guy out?" He remained silent, clearly not wanting to do the bully the favor, but Jarrel had to insist, "Unless you'd rather go for another swim, eh?" Mark could not hold back the urge to gulp, earning a mischievous grin from his tormentor. "Alright, so I expect you to meet me behind Terra Dorm at…let's say five-ish today?" He released his grip on Mark and did not bother waiting for an answer. He already knew it. He simply slapped Mark lightly a couple of times on his face and said, "Good talk," before recalling his Samurott.

Mark watched the third-year leave before sluggishly walking to the library to meet up with Kari. He found her sitting on a bench outside the library and once she was aware of his presence, she slung her handbag over her shoulder and approached him.

"You're late," she said.

"I know, I'm sorry Kari. You can blame Alex for that."

"Your Poketch has an alarm too."

Mark wore an apologetic look as he responded, "I slept through it. We were up late last night talking in my room."

"Wow, you guys are more feminine than I am," she teased. "Anyways, let's get going already."

"Okay."

"Time to go, Chimchar!" The little chimp had just finished jumping into a pile of Wingulls before running towards his coordinator and her friend with a happy look on his face.

* * *

The afternoon sun sat high in the sky, inching its way to the west as the autumn breeze lifted the decaying leaves through campus. The gentle wind made it cold enough for Chase to comfortably wear his Beedrill hoodie. The brown-eyed brunette lay on a low tree branch in the school's quad, completely oblivious to the passing students because of the music his headphones hummed into his ears.

Despite the music being the only thing capable of reaching his eardrums, a voice started ringing in his head saying, _Is this how champions-to-be spend their free time?! Get off your lazy ass!_

Chase opened his eyes to look at the ceiling of warm colors with small cracks of blue breaking through – his calm expression turning into a frown upon hearing the voice in his head. His breathing was steady, but his thoughts were racing through harsh memories. Having had enough of them, he carefully jumped from the branch, slung his backpack over his shoulders, and decided to go for a walk instead.

During his stroll, his eyes picked up on many things ranging from students playing sports to others relaxing with their Pokemon to couples walking by with their fingers interlocked. Suddenly, he stopped. Chase didn't know why, but something told him to just stop right then and there. To his left was a cylindrical multiple-story building with glass windows outlined by orange walls. What caught his eye was the logo just above the building's front doors which consisted of a Pokemon battlefield, one side was red and the other white, framed by a yellow background.

Almost instinctually, Chase approached the building and stepped through the automatic double doors. Once inside, he found himself inside a lobby with a small Pokemon center in the far left of the room. Straight ahead was a counter where a large brown-haired man stood. The giant saw the lost look on Chase's face and used his booming voice to ask, "Hey there! Did you need help?"

Chase walked up to the counter and said, "Sorry, I was just looking around. What is this place?"

"This building is a called a Battle Club and it is owned by me, Don George." Noting that Chase still looked confused, he clarified, "Battle Clubs are places where trainers can register and battle each other. Most of them are in Unova and ran by my cousins, but Star Academy paid to have one established here. The special thing about this Battle Club, though, is that your record here actually factors into your standing at the academy."

"So if I win a lot of battles here, my rank goes up in the school?"

"That's right!"

"Interesting. So how do I get started?"

"You see those computers over there?" The brunette boy nodded, his soft spikes bobbing along. "You can register there and it will ask for your name, student ID number, the information of the Pokemon you have with you, and your phone number."

"Why my phone number?"

"Well to battle, you have to make an appointment and when a room is free, a message will be sent to your mobile device so that you can report to it."

"That makes sense. Okay, thank you for the information."

"No problem kid! If you need anything else, just ask."

Chase left Don George to go register his information but decided to use the restroom, first. He had been holding it in for a while, anyway.

* * *

Alex was the last person to wake up in his room and the last one to leave. He knew that Mark went to the library to do homework with Kari and later found out from a text that Sergio and Aaron went on a little outing so the emerald boy talked on the phone with his dad and later went with Riley to have lunch.

Having been fully satisfied with their meal, the two boys were now walking through campus, enjoying the soft warmth provided by the sun and the fresh wind brushing against their faces. For the time being, Alex allowed his Pikachu to stay outside of his Poke Ball to stretch and enjoy some fresh air. After seeing how much Chimchar hated captivity, he figured that other Pokemon felt the same. He never had problems with Pikachu, but the electric mouse seemed to enjoy running freely on the grass.

"So did you talk to your dad?" Riley asked.

"Yeah, we talked for a bit. He told me about how he might be getting a promotion at work."

"What does he do?"

"He's an electrician. Different businesses contract the company he works for to set up their electric circuits and stuff. He's even done maintenance at the Vermillion City gym when Lt. Surge was busy or out of town."

"That's pretty cool."

"Yeah. If he gets the promotion, they'll put him in charge of bigger jobs like planning out this new building in the east part of town. It's supposed to be huge."

"Wow, your dad's job seems hard."

"Yeah, but someone has to do it, right?"

"That's true."

"You said that your dad is a trainer, right?"

"Not just a trainer. He's a Frontier Brain back in Hoenn."

"A Frontier Brain! Whoa! Your dad's super strong, then! He's like at an Elite Four member's level!"

Riley nodded with a proud grin, "That's right. And one day, I'll get even stronger than him. But that's to be expected since I will be the strongest trainer in the world."

"What? Are you planning on me dying early or something?" Alex teased.

Riley pointed to the Battle Club and asked, "How about you put your Pokemon where your mouth is?"

"Because I haven't given any of them baths," he joked in return. "What is this place anyway?"

"I think it's called a Battle Maison where you battle trainers and get points for each victory. Then you can trade those points for cool prizes. Plus there are these strong sisters you get to go up against called the Battle Chatelaines. The oldest two are really pretty, by the way."

"Whoa, how do you know so much about this place?"

"There's one in Hoenn, but we don't call it the Battle Maison. To us, it's the Battle Resort."

"Well whatever it is, it sounds awesome! Hey, Pikachu, are you up for some battles?"

The electric-type's ears perked up and his lips naturally curved into a smile as he yelled, "Pika!" and ran towards his trainer, climbing his body before grabbing his shoulder.

Alex and Riley ran into the building and stepped onto the tiled floors of the lobby. There were other students, some walked in and out of hallways and others sat or stood around talking to each other.

"So where do we go?" Alex inquired.

"Mmm, let's ask that guy!" Riley pointed to Don George who stood behind the counter at the end of the room, looking through some files.

They approached the well-built man and Alex asked, "Excuse me, sir, how can I go up against the Battle Chatelaines?"

Don George looked at him quizzically. He stated, with uncertainty in his voice, "Battle…Chatelaines? You must be confused. This is called the Battle Club."

Alex looked at Riley as if he had been lied to.

The black-haired boy's emerald eyes widened as he came to the realization. "That's right! They didn't tell me that it was the Battle Maison, they said Battle Club! Well, there aren't prizes or chatelaines here, but there are still lots of battles here."

The bronze giant chuckled, but his booming voice could be heard throughout the lobby. "Well your buddy might've been confused for a bit, but he's got it right now." He began explaining to them the functions and operations of the Battle Club and pointed them to the registration computers.

"Thanks, mister!" Alex said before dashing off with Riley towards the computers.

"Anytime, boys," he responded with a lighthearted smile. Sure, he could have told them running was not allowed but with every passing year, Don George had learned that youth is a beautiful thing. Youth provides energy and enthusiasm that keeps the world spinning.

Just as Alex was about to reach the computer, his hand was met with two more. Emerald eyes looked up to find two _very_ familiar faces. One was Chase, the boy he had battled and defeated on their first day of class and the other was Kari's _wonderful_ roommate, Kirsty.

The violet-eyed girl wore a vicious scowl as she snapped, "Uh, excuse you two? It's rude to crowd a lady."

"Is there one here?" Chase remarked.

Sharing two classes with Kirsty, Chase was already quite familiar with her attitude and self-centeredness and to be honest, he was not in the mood to deal with it at the moment.

His comment was rewarded with Alex and Riley yelling "Ohhhhh!"

Alex added, "Get wrecked!"

"Whatever, move your hands. I'm going to use the computer."

"Sorry, babe, but I got here first," Alex said.

"No you didn't, my hand reached here first. And _don't_ call me babe. _Ever_."

"Yeah, you have to respect that," said one of Kirsty's followers.

"Uh, I've been here the longest," Chase informed.

Kirsty countered, "So why didn't I see you here?"

"Yeah, why weren't you here?" repeated another, earning a glare from Kirsty. She wasn't exactly helping by repeating, but Kirsty did it more because she was in a sour mood.

"Because I was in the restroom."

"The restroom isn't the registration computer, dude," Alex responded.

"Well I was walking over here. You can respect that, can't you?"

Kirsty replied, "Why don't you respect the rule 'ladies first'?"

"There are no more gentlemen in this world," commented a third girl from Kirsty's group.

"What seems to be the problem here?" Don George asked as he approached the group of adolescents.

Even around authority, Kirsty's tone remained obnoxious as she responded, "They don't want to let me use the computer."

Alex's shoulders raised, "I was here first, sir."

The tanned man's eyes darted to Chase upon hearing the brown-eyed boy say, "I was actually here first. You saw me like five minutes, ago, remember?"

After a few moments of silence which he clearly used to contemplate what to do in this situation, Don George finally said, "Well you're all fighting about who can sign up to use a room, first, right?" He was answered by nods. "This gives me a great idea! Why not have a battle with all four of you?"

"You expect me to team up with one of them?" Kirsty asked – disgust evident in her voice.

He shook his head, "Not a multi battle, a free-for-all. Everyone against everyone in an action-packed battle where absolutely anything can happen!" The excitement in his voice was clearly rising. "I can send out an alert to all of the registered students to come watch the battle! How does that sound?"

"I've never done a free-for-all before," said Alex.

"Yeah, me neither," commented Chase. "How would that work?"

"Each of you will stand in one corner of the stadium and you can attack any of your opponents' Pokemon."

"And how many will we use?" Riley asked.

"How many do each of you have?"

"Three," responded Alex and Chase.

"Two," said Kirsty.

"Well three, but one won't listen to me, so I guess two."

"Alright then. Each of you will use two, but you boys have to choose the two Pokemon you'll be using ahead of time. It wouldn't be fair for you to have an option of who to use as your second Pokemon after your first one gets knocked out while she doesn't."

Chase nodded, "That makes sense."

"It still isn't fair. Those two are going to work together because they are friends," Kirsty whined as she accusingly pointed a finger at Alex and Riley.

"Actually, that isn't allowed," The Battle Club owner responded, "Sure, any of you can work together to take out the most threatening Pokemon on the field but by no means are any of you allowed to work together to take out the other opponents. Is that understood?" More nods.

"So are we going to battle right now?" Riley asked.

"Well, I need to send out a notice so let's say at five? Does that work for everyone?" There were no objections so the battle was set for later that day.

* * *

Mark and Kari walked side-by-side with Chimchar playfully running ahead of them. The campus was bathed in a golden hue from the setting sun as the fleeting light reflected off of the pavement, the plants, the buildings, and the students scattered throughout the area.

The brunette let out a sigh and pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear before saying, "I'm so tired. What are you going to do now?"

"I'm probably going to take a shower and see if Alex or Sergio wants to hang out. You?"

"I hope to Arceus that Kirsty isn't in the room because I don't have anything to do outside."

As they reached an intersection of cement paths, a small group of students ran by them, almost running over Chimchar in the process. The little ape's flame tail shot out and he frantically climbed Kari's body to curl up against her.

The olive-skinned girl frowned and yelled, "Hey, watch where you're going! You almost stepped on my Chimchar!"

One of the students turned around and apologized, "I'm really sorry about that. We're kind of in a hurry to watch this free-for-all at the Battle Club. I can't remember the last time they had one." Having said his apology, the boy continued on his way.

"Free-for-all?" Kari asked allowed. "That sounds really interesting. Do you want to check it out, Mark?"

His ruby eyes glanced at his Poketch to check the time.

He shook his head, "No, I'm really tired after doing all that homework."

"Okay, well I'll see you tomorrow, then?" Mark nodded and after hugging her, began walking to the dorms.

Kari walked the other way, in the direction that the other students went. After asking around a bit, she found herself walking through a threshold into the stands of the Battle Club's main battlefield and most of the seats had already been filled. Kari managed to find a seat in the sea of students, masking herself among the masses.

Once settled in, she was able to see the participants and to her shock, she recognized three of them. _What are the chances of all three of them being here?! I can't wait to see the look on Kirsty's face when she loses. I don't really care who wins as long as it's not her and the chance of her winning is lower than the chance of her losing._ Kari merely sat back and prepared to watch the show.

Down on the field, Don George stood in the center of the Poke Ball drawing and gathered the audience's attention by saying, "Thank you all for coming on such short notice to watch this year's first official event match here at the Battle Club and do we have something special for you planned. Today, we have these four first-year students battling in a free-for-all!"

Kari's ears rang with the roar of cheer coming from every side of her.

Don George continued, "Now let's meet the participants!" One by one, the muscular man introduced Alex, Riley, Kirsty, and Chase – each of which was applauded and cheered upon mention.

"Now, each participant will use two Pokemon and are allowed to attack any Pokemon, even work together to overcome the biggest threat on the field as long as they do not focus on one participant the entire match. Trainers, are you ready?" He was answered by simultaneous nods as all four students reached for their first Poke Balls.

"Begin!"

"You're in charge Pidgeotto!" Alex called.

"Let's go, Flora!"

"We'll show them, Luxio!" A dark blue lynx appeared on Kirsty's side of the field with a small field of electricity sparking around him.

"Let's beat them, Pierce!" Chase's choice hovered slightly above the ground with its clear white wings creating a buzzing sound and his lance-like stingers sharpened to a point. Its exoskeleton matched Chase's sweater with a black and white pattern.

"Pidgeotto, use Feather Dance on Flora!" The brown-feathered avian flapped her wings, sending a swirling wind that carried her quivers to the grass-type, lowering her Special Attack.

Kirsty smirk and thought, _Now that she's weakened_…"Luxio hit Gloom with Spark!" The electric-type rammed himself into Flora, but after getting knocked back, she merely stood back up as if nothing had happened. "Luxio is really strong! Why did she take that so well?!"

Chase explained, "Riley's Gloom is a grass-type meaning that she resists electric-type attacks."

"What?! Well then Luxio, use Bite on her! She doesn't resist that."

"Lux, lux!" With white glowing fangs, Luxio ran to the Gloom and attempted a second attack but Riley ordered Flora to use Toxic, inflicting the lynx with the poison status. Despite landing the attack on his target, Luxio was having difficulty standing and a violet hue formed above his muzzle indicating his condition.

Alex took advantage of Flora trying to recover from the attack and Luxio being weakened by having Pidgeotto use Twister on them both. The indigo cyclone wrapped around both Pokemon, striking them with its sharp winds. With Pidgeotto distracted, Pierce swooped in with a Poison Jab to the chest, effectively ending the bird's assault. Luckily for Alex and Pidgeotto, Pierce's attack did not leave her poisoned.

Luxio was still feeling the effects of the poison running through his veins and unfortunately, Kirsty could not use any items or berries to cure him during the battle. But as long as he could stand on his four paws, he would be willing to fight for her. Deciding to regroup and rethink her strategy, Kirsty ordered him to retreat to their corner to make a plan.

_Let's see, Alex has type advantage over both Chase and Riley so if I can get him to attack them, we can hit him with Spark._ She took a look at Luxio, noticing his heavy pants. _We'll have to do it quick, though. It'll be hard to recover from this if he's knocked out before_.

"Alright, Luxio, I want you to use Bite on Pierce!"

"Lux!" With a nod, he charged towards the bug-type and as he neared, Kirsty called out, "Now side step!" Pierce retaliated with one of his stingers but missed.

"Pidgeotto, Gust!"

_It worked!_ Kirsty cheered to herself. That is until she realized Pidgeotto was attacking Flora, instead of Pierce. It became clear to the violet-eyed girl that she had not given the brown bird any reason to attack in their direction. Seeing the opening, Beedrill finished the minx off with a Poison Jab.

"Oh no, Luxio!" She sighed, "Return. You did well." Turning to the normal-type on her shoulder, Kirsty said, "You ready, Sentret?" She nodded and leaped onto the field in front of Kirsty.

After Flora was knocked out, Riley replaced her with his Snorunt, Jazz, who made quick work of Pidgeotto with an Icy Wind. Because Pierce was also in the way, his body temperature dropped and soon he was shivering as much as Jazz was underneath her tipi-like coat.

"Pidgeotto, return! Let's go Pikachu!" The red and white device popped open to reveal the little electric mouse with a confident smile on his face.

"Pika, pi!"

"Pikachu, use Thunder Wave on Beedrill!"

"Pierce, dodge it!" The bug-type attempted to flap his frosted wings but could not move quickly enough to avoid the incoming static, which left him paralyzed on the ground.

"Follow up with Electro Ball, Pikachu!" He launched the yellow projectile at Beedrill, easily knocking him out because of his drastically reduced speed. They may have gotten a knock-out, but it was too soon for Alex and Pikachu to celebrate because Snorunt used Icy Wind on the mouse Pokemon to slow him down as well. "Oh no! How are you feeling Pikachu?"

"P-p-p-p-pika!" He tried to stay strong and readied himself for further commands, but his chilly breath was visible, worrying his trainer.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack on Jazz!"

"Sucker Punch!" Kirsty's Sentret concentrated dark energy into her paw and connected it with Pikachu's face, to disrupt his attack. With both Pikachu and Sentret in range, Jazz unleashed another Icy Wind, which knocked out the electric-type and made it difficult for the normal-type to move.

"Kim, Body Slam!" Somehow, no one had noticed that the large blue bear had been summoned to the field and now it was three feet off the ground above Sentret. With her speed decreased, she was flattened out by Kim's incredible weight, resulting in Kirsty's elimination as she ran out onto the field to pick up her unconscious Pokemon.

"Sentret, no!" She took a look at her opponents to find Alex returning Pikachu to his Poke Ball while Riley and Chase continued the battle.

Kari threw a fist into the air and even stood up as she yelled "Ohhhhh yeah!" Despite feeling slightly saddened by Alex's loss, she was just happy to see the crushed look on Kirsty's face as the black-haired girl simply walked off the field, not caring to stick around to watch the rest of the match. _Sore loser, much?_ Unlike Kirsty, Alex sat down next to Don George on the sidelines of the battlefield to watch the last moments of the battle.

"Jazz, use Icy Wind!"

The chilly current slammed into Kim, but the normal-type's thick fur and skin shielded him from the attack or at least reduced the amount of damage it would have normally done.

"We can take that. Kim, use Body Slam!"

"Double Team!" The Snorlax landed on one of the phantom copies that the Snorunt made while the rest surrounded the large Pokemon. "Use Ice Shard!" Kim soon found herself being pummeled by small fragments of sharpened ice which dug into her skin. They seemed to come from all directions, but she knew that there was only one true attacker. Despite this, she could not pinpoint his location.

To Riley's surprise, Chase seemed incredibly calm for someone who had no hopes of catching Jazz with a Body Slam attack. Kim just was not fast enough. Finally, the brown-eyed boy told his Snorlax to use Rest. The normal-type simply shrugged and let herself fall backward onto the ground. Before long, she was fast asleep and Riley couldn't exactly explain what Chase was planning. Instead, he decided to take full advantage and had Snorunt continue with his barrage of Ice Shard attacks.

"Kim, use Snore." Even though she was asleep, Kim followed orders and released a large sound wave that knocked Jazz down. She was so frightened that she even hid underneath her coat. "Keep using Snore."

The normal-type kept snoring, gradually inflicting damage on the sheltered ice-type, who continued shaking from her cold body temperature and the constant harsh sounds coming from her opponent. Finally, Jazz stopped shaking.

"Hey, Jazz, are you okay?" There was no response. "Jazz? Come on, talk to me."

The ice-type fell over and it was revealed that she was no longer able to fight making Chase the winner. The crowd of students erupted into cheer as Don George lifted one of Chase's hands into the air and announced him as the victor. Soon after, Alex and Riley both shook hands with him as well, praising him on his victory over all three opponents.

"Congrats!" Riley said.

Alex patted Chase on the back and remarked, "I could've beat you all if I use my Charizard. Just figured my other Pokemon could use some experience, you know?"

The brown-eyed boy laughed in response and said, "Yeah, yeah. I'm pretty sure he just didn't fight because he remembered the last time he went up against Kim."

Alex sighed and joked, "Yeah, he just doesn't fly the same anymore."

"Hey, where's Kirsty?" Riley asked.

"The spoiled princess stormed off after she lost," Chase stated.

"Well that sure was an interesting match, wasn't it?"

The three boys turned to find Professor Cedar approaching them, dressed in his usual formal attire – minus the blazer. His sleeves were even rolled up almost to his elbows, giving a more casual feel to the headmaster.

"Y-you watched it?" Alex asked in disbelief.

He chuckled, "Of course! It's the first official battle here at the Battle Club and a free-for-all nonetheless. It's not often we get one of those so I thought I'd come watch it."

"So what did you think?" Alex asked excitedly.

"You're awfully energetic for the first one eliminated," the dark-skinned man jabbed. "I'm just kidding you. For students who'd never participated in a free-for-all before, you all did great! Even the girl that battled against you three." He turned to face the winner. "Chase, is it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Congratulations on your victory," a warm smile stretched across his lips as he said that.

Chase was slightly caught off guard by the praise but recollected himself and with a smile responded, "Thank you. I'm just glad I could put on such an entertaining show."

Professor Cedar smiled and nodded before excusing himself and leaving his students.

Shortly after, Chase told Alex and Riley, "Well, I'll catch you guys later."

"Sounds good."

"Later."

With just the two of them there, Riley asked, "What are you going to do now?"

Alex put his hands behind his head and shrugged, "Well first thing's first. I need to heal my Pokemon. Not sure what I'll do after. I've still got homework to do, but I have a whole Sunday for that, right?"

"True! Want to check out girls in the quad?"

"Definitely."

* * *

Mark ran as fast as he could back to the dorms, ignoring the burning sensation in his legs and the constricting lungs in his chest. He only had a few minutes left before five and there was no saying what Jarrel would do to him if he was late. He hadn't been very lenient towards him thus far.

The ruby boy soon arrived in the courtyard between the three dorms and did his best to appear as inconspicuous as possible as he walked behind Terra Dorm where he was met with Jarrel and a few of his friends.

Upon seeing him, a glint appeared in Jarrel's eyes as he casually greeted him, "How's it going, Marcus? You're right on time! If you kept me any longer, I would've had to have sent my boys to look for you."

As he tried regaining his breath, Mark thanked Arceus that he made it in time. He was sure that Jarrel's friends would have used force to bring him even if he did not resist.

"So…where's the Charizard?"

Jarrel simply pointed over to the woods that lie beyond the dormitories. He then led Mark through the trees with some of his friends in the back in case the ruby boy planned to escape. Luckily for the third year, there was no struggle as they walked for twenty minutes through the trees – flashlights in hand to maneuver through the unpredictable terrain. They had finally arrived in front of an old shed and Jarrel pushed Mark inside where another adolescent boy was seated next to his Charizard.

Apparently, Jarrel used the word "buddy" loosely earlier when describing the owner of the Charizard that his Hydreigon impregnated because the boy sitting next to the fire lizard had his hands tied and sported a busted lip. His clothes were slightly tattered, indicating that there was some sort of struggle. Most likely, the Charizard trainer did not want Jarrel to have the egg, but clearly, he had been subdued.

Jarrel pushed Mark again, but this time lowered him down next to the Charizard and said, "Well, get to work, _buddy_."

Mark took a small moment to glare at Jarrel before turning his attention to the worn out Pokemon in front of him. Despite being a fire-type accustomed to high temperatures, sweat trickled down her orange scales. Her belly rose and fell violently as she breathed heavily with the occasional ember escaping her snout. The breeder unzipped his backpack and began pulling out his equipment including a couple towels, a bottle of water, and a surgical mask, cap, and gloves.

He put the fabrics on his face and asked, "Could you please untie the trainer?" Despite using such a polite word, his tone was serious and rather demanding.

"Why?" Jarrel asked in response.

"This will go a lot easier if she has her trainer to comfort her."

Jarrel stared at him with metallic eyes, an unwavering look of authority in them. He looked at one of his goons and ordered, "You heard him."

Jarrel's friend pulled out a pocket knife and Mark realized that his captor probably told that specific boy to untie the trainer to erase any notion of escaping in the breeder's head. Mark pushed the thought of cold steel being driven through his flesh to the back of his mind and pressed the opening of the water bottle against one of the towels, moistening the white fabric.

He then gently placed it on the Charizard's head and told her trainer, "She has a fever right now so this will help cool her down. Keep her head on your lap and she'll feel more at ease, okay?"

"Okay."

Mark then readied himself to receive the egg, constantly encouraging the fire-type to push and reassuring her that everything would be okay. She would sometimes respond with a grunt or growl, but her most prominent reaction was to let out a roar. Luckily for the group, she did not release any flames, fighting the urge to burn the small shed they were in. After a couple hours of this, the Charizard pushed one final time, as hard as she could, and at last laid her egg – which had an orange shell except for the bottom which was cream-colored. Mark held the round object in his hand and stood up to give it to Jarrel.

"Well, there it is."

Jarrel nodded with an impressed look on his face, "You sure know your stuff, kid. You didn't even have all of the equipment they use at a day-care and this guy's Charizard didn't even die." He then shoved it back against Mark for the younger boy and said, "Now I want you to hold onto this for me until it's about time for it to hatch. Then I'll take it."

"But you only asked me to help receive it."

"Well now I'm telling you to hold onto it. You clearly know how to handle this stuff and I want this egg to be well taken care of." He took a step closer to Mark, imposing his presence onto him. "Is that a problem?" Mark's crimson eyes fell and he merely shook his head. "Didn't think so. Alright, boys let's get out of here."

One-by-one, Jarrel and his friends exited the shed, leaving only Mark and the Charizard trainer. As the breeder placed the egg inside an incubator pod, he glanced at the other boy and could see the look of shame on his face. He clearly blamed himself for letting Jarrel's Hydreigon defile his Charizard and using her as some sort of baby maker. She would probably never see her child after it hatched.

Mark stood up and turned to the boy who merely pet the scaly beast beside him. He told him, "I-I'm so sorry that I did this."

The trainer simply shook his head and said, "You only did it for the same reason that I did."

* * *

Kari sat on her bed with a book between her hands and Chimchar napping at the foot of her bed. She did not know where Kirsty was and she did not care. The only times she felt at peace in her own room was when the violet-eyed girl was not present. Her hazel eyes flickered back and forth as her mind consumed each word they captured.

Her concentration was broken when she heard a few knocks on the door. Taking note of where she was in the book, she set it down and walked to open the door. On the other side stood Mark with a cheery smile and a red-orange bar of ice cream in each hand.

Kari recognized the desert and smiled at her best friend who said, "I thought we could have a talk and eat ice cream like we did back home."

"I do believe you forgot to get one for Chimchar."

He peered into her room and teased, "He's asleep. You can't just leave him a note telling him that you went out?"

"Did we just meet?"

"I'm kidding. I have one for him too in my backpack."

"Alright, I'll wake the little guy up. Where do you want to go?"

"My dorm has a patio on the roof with a bit of shade. It's nice, you'll like it."

"Is the shade to protect us from the moonlight?"

He chuckled, "I don't want you getting moon-burned."

Kari laughed in response and said, "Fine, let me get a sweater." She walked back into her room to lightly nudge Chimchar awake and grab a hooded sweater before exiting and locking her room.

Mark led Kari back to his dorm and the two rode the elevator to the top and just as the ruby boy had predicted, she loved the sight. Not only was there a view of the courtyard below, the student union, the lecture buildings, the observatory, and most of the other buildings on campus, but the roof itself was also quite the sight. There were columns holding up a small roof with hanging flower pots. The edge of the roof they were standing on was decorated by a small garden that surrounded them as well as a few benches pressed against the concrete platforms that held the plants.

"I'm not going to say I told you so."

She punched him in the arm and said, "Good!" As they sat down and started eating their Custap Berry ice cream, Kari asked, "So what did you end up doing?"

"Nothing much. Just watched some videos on my laptop."

"Mark, I already told you that you're not supposed to watch that. That's for grown-ups."

He chuckled and played along with her, "But I can't stop! I need help, I tell you!" She laughed as well and took a bite of her frosty treat. "How was the match?"

"You'll never guess who battled!"

"Alex."

"Okay that was kind of obvious, but yeah. Riley and Kirsty battled too, though."

"Really? Wow. Who was the fourth person?"

"Some guy named Chase."

"About yay tall with spiky brown hair? Always wears a Beedrill hoodie?"

"You know him?"

"Kari, he's in our Algebra class. I think I have him in P.E. with Alex too."

"It's not like I'm saving a picture of everyone in my virtual databank like _some people_."

"You should probably start," he teased. "So how was the battle?"

"It was really exciting, actually. Free-for-alls are so fast-paced compared to normal battles. They pretty much had to be on guard the whole time."

"Wow, sounds intense. Who won?"

"Chase. I'm just glad that spoiled brat didn't win. I can't stand people that use their money to get what they want. I just can't believe that some people can get their way only because they have money and have no regard for how other people feel. But of course, not all rich people are bad just like anybody else, right?"

He nodded, "Yeah, there's always people who are good and people who are bad."

"I'm not sure if it's all black and white, though. I feel like there are shades of gray, you know?"

"Jeez, you should give up on being a coordinator and become a poet."

She laughed, "Shut up and eat your stupid ice cream, will you?"

**D-d-d-d-d-d-done! Now was it just me or was this chapter A LOT darker than anything I've written before? I feel like it was with Mark being held at blade-point twice. How did you guys enjoy the free-for-all? I know that it's not something you see often in any media of the franchise and I haven't seen one at all in a fanfiction so I did my best to not let it drag on because there are four trainers instead of just two and they are all attacking each other. **

**Now I know that no new OCs were introduced and I know some of you guys eagerly clicked the link to this story to see if your character has finally come out but I don't want to flood you guys with a bunch of characters in the first few chapters because if I did none of them would stick out to other readers the way some people mentioned with Cherilyn and her friends. I personally think it's too early to say that their personalities are not distinct (even though after giving it a read, I found each of them quite different, but that's mostly because I've had more time with them). The plan with these first few chapters was to establish some connections that already exist like roommates or how Sergio knows Cherilyn and through Cherilyn knows the other girls. From here on, a chapter will probably contain one new OC (two tops) and will accentuate their personalities while perhaps building the personality of other characters and character interactions.**

**No QOTD today because I can't really think of a good one. Let me know what you thought of the chapter as a whole and I'll see you all next time. Legacy, out!**


	6. The Girl with the Aztec Tattoo

**How's it going?! Alright so today we've got a bit of a shorter chapter but it is filled with character interaction and some fresh faces and it's brighter than the last chapter so just sit back and enjoy the read.**

**Now I just want to take a quick moment to thank Heart of the Anime for helping me with the plot of this chapter. She is a life saver because I was completely indecisive when it came to what I wanted this chapter to be about and what I wanted to happen so we finally settled with this.**

**grimbutnotalways: It's cool, I don't expect everyone to review every chapter but your continual support is much appreciated. And I know, it's really dark. This story will have some dark moments but also some light to balance it out.**

**Vioet: I didn't think it was a problem until I started rereading it so thank you for pointing that out. All of the "was" and "were" verbs during the dream sequence were intentional. It was an artistic decision but I did notice my use of them more frequent than needed as the chapter went on. I like you pointing these things out because it keeps me on my toes, so thank you.**

**Overused: I'm glad we've set aside our differences. I might actually take your school-wide battle royal idea into consideration because it could actually be an arc similar to how a lot of animes base arcs around a competition like the Dark Tournament from Yu Yu Hakusho (If anyone has seen that show, you're awesome). As for characters, I'm purposely scratching the surface in terms of the characters shown so far. It's only been four official chapters so it's only natural that you don't know a character's complete history and personality. I'm dropping little bits of information as I go like how close Riley and his dad are or that Chase is under pressure.**

**Amazing Scythe: Well Happy Birthday!**

**This goes to all of my readers. I care about you all and appreciate your support but please don't make requests for me to finish a chapter for a personal reason you may have. I will write this story at a pace that I feel comfortable with. I understand that this chapter took a while, but I had major writers block. This chapter was going to be about one thing, then another, and finally I settled on what you are about to read. It's impractical for me to drop everything I'm doing and bang my head to get rid of my writer's block just because one reader requests it.**

**Now without further ado, I present Chapter 5. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 5: The Girl with the Aztec Tattoo**

Sergio rested his chin against the palms of his hands while his onyx eyes shifted from left to right without losing sight of the black ink meticulously scribbled inside the spiral bound notebook. The continuously even ticking sounds from a nearby hanging clock broke the silence between the silver-haired boy and his colleagues, who sat around the table – each focused on their own research. The mahogany table supported the weight of books which were both stacked and scattered throughout its brown surface. Outside of this intimate space of research was a sea of shelves, lined with books of varying shapes and subjects, and within this ocean of books loomed a Sharpedo.

The sound of brief footsteps on the other side of a book case made Sergio glance briefly in that direction but he soon returned to his book, deciding to ignore the noise. He heard more quick footsteps nearby and tore his eyes away yet again.

He scanned the room, but there was no more noise until finally a boy exclaimed, "Fire!"

Paper airplanes were launched high in the air and curved over the book shelves to bombard the table, causing some of the researchers to panic and abandon ship. The exceptions were Sergio and a thin brunette with glasses and a pair of gray sweats – the latter of which kept his chestnut-colored eyes glued to the book before him.

Sergio stood up from his seat and walked over to the source of the commotion to find another adolescent with forest green eyes and black hair which he kept short and swept back. He looked up at the silver-haired boy and flashed him a cheeky grin before being pulled up by the collar of his cyan jacket.

The boy complained, "Sergio! You tore my jeans!" There was a soft Kalosian accent in his voice. Sergio quickly glanced at the aforementioned dark green trousers.

Without looking away from his book, the brunette curtly stated, "Your jeans are always torn from the bottom."

"Well, um, he could've ripped them more, Martin!" the troublemaker responded.

"Rafi, what are you doing? You're supposed to be using Study Hall to _study_," Sergio explained.

"I know, but I got bored."

"And that means you disrupt the rest of us?! I want to get started on the report we have to turn in next week!"

"Sergio, why are you making so much noise?" Dr. Boykin asked as he entered the area. "This is the library. You should know better than to yell in here. Are you picking on a first year?"

"W-what?! No!"

"Shh. I told you to be quiet. I'm going to have to ask you to step out for a bit to cool off."

"But he–" A tanned finger was pointed in Rafi's direction.

"Sergio, you have to be quiet. Come back in when you're ready to work and stop disturbing others."

Deciding it best not to argue any further, Sergio simply glared at Rafi on his way out, but the first-year just waved back oblivious to the animosity towards him. After a few minutes, Sergio walked back in and took his seat while avoiding eye contact with Rafi who was now balancing a pencil on his nose. To his annoyance, Sergio could not find where he had left off in the book and had to reread through a small excerpt to remind himself of what he previously covered.

Just as he was beginning to find peace within the pages of the journal, he heard an obnoxious "Psss" coming from the last person he wanted to look at, let alone talk to. Sergio tried to ignore him, but was soon pelted with crumbled up pieces of paper until his onyx eyes shot daggers into the younger boy, who seemed unaffected by the hostility.

He spat venom, "What?"

Rafi tried to use a quiet voice but the volume resembled his normal speaking. He even hunched his back, raised his shoulders, and positioned his hands around his mouth like a tunnel to direct his voice towards Sergio. All this did, however, was make him look ridiculous.

"I just wanted to apologize for getting you in trouble."

"Apology accepted." Sergio did not really mean it but he figured that that would get his colleague to leave him alone to do his work. He was wrong.

"Really?"

The older boy released a frustrated sigh before feigning a smile and saying, "Yes, really. Now can you let me read?"

"Sure thing, boss!" Sergio dove back into his book for a few short moments but Rafi reeled him out of the ink. "Sergio, I'm bored again."

He stopped reading but did not lift his eyes. "Read a book, Rafi."

"I don't know which one is interesting."

Still not moving his gaze, Sergio picked a book from his pile and shoved it into Rafi.

"Read this."

Minty spheres gleamed upon seeing the salmon-colored book cover and an olive hand opened it to reveal its contents. Sergio could hear zippers opening and closing beyond the book shelves and he began preparing for their departure, knowing that Dr. Boykin was dismissing class and that he would soon pass by to notify them as well. Not five seconds later and Sergio's prediction came to pass.

With Study Hall over, Rafi decided to return the book but by the time he looked over at Sergio, the silver-haired boy was already entering the hallway that lead to the library's entrance. The green boy simply shrugged and put the book in his bag so he could return it the next time he saw Sergio.

* * *

Sergio made his way through campus with a bottle of Soda Pop in hand and his Fennekin fondly prancing behind him. Seeing that her owner seemed rather upset, the golden fox playfully tugged at the bottom of his jeans, earning his attention. He stopped walking and crouched down to pet the fire-type on her head until his bronze hand found its way behind her left ear. Fennekin began stomping her hind paw from the pleasure that came from Sergio scratching that spot. To her dismay, he soon stopped and continued walking through the campus quad but she followed without complaint.

The silver-haired boy lifted the plastic bottle to his lips and the dark liquid began pouring into his mouth and flowing down his throat, slightly irritating the fleshy walls. As he continued walking and enjoying his beverage, faint guitar strumming began resonating in his ears. He could distinguish them as being from an electric guitar because of the static coming from the amplifier which made the music audible. Deciding that he had nothing better to do, Sergio stepped onto the grass and followed the sound until he found its origin.

As he neared the source, he could hear two metal objects being tapped together in a rhythmic fashion, similar to that of a drum beat. This further piqued his interest, urging him to continue his search until he arrived at a tree. From his point of view, Sergio could see an amplifier just as he expected and part of a guitar neck. Once up close, he could see that someone was sitting with their back against the tree and that a small Pokemon was with that person. Strands of blue hair wafted in the small breeze and a petite hand slid up and down the guitar neck, skillfully pressing its digits against the strings.

A female voice sang, "I never knew. I never knew that everything was falling through, like everyone I knew was waiting on a cue. To turn and run when all I needed was the truth."

Sensing a stranger's presence, the small black and red Pokemon stopped hitting his bladed hands against each other and opened his eyes to reveal small black pupils surrounded by yellow sclera. He leapt at Sergio with the intent to drive his sharp arms through the adolescent's skin. As he fell onto his back, Sergio's glasses fell onto the freshly cut grass beside him, forcing him to squint.

"Hey, get your psycho 'mon off of me!" he snapped.

Before she could call her Pawniard off, Fennekin blasted him off with a small flare. The dark/steel-type returned to his trainer's side, calmly and patiently waiting for Sergio to get back up.

"Thanks, Fennekin," he said as he lifted himself off the ground and brushed the dirt off of his clothes. Even with his poor vision, he could tell that the girl and her Pokemon were still standing there, waiting for him to address them. A soft nudge at his leg forced him to look down and receive the eyewear that Fennekin held in her mouth. As he wiped the lenses, Sergio's expression hardened and he began, "What the hell is his prob–"

Upon seeing the girl clearly, thanks to his glasses, Sergio stopped mid-sentence, absolutely stunned by her beauty. Her skin was coated in a very light tan to provide slight protection from the sun's rays. Sergio could see her slender shoulders because of her off-the-shoulder black and white blouse as well as the black Aztec tattoo wrapped around her right leg in the small space between her maroon shorts and black thigh-high socks. Her navy hair was covered by a maroon beanie on top and her bangs were clipped to the side to stay out of her face.

Her most alluring feature was her bright orchid eyes. They truly were an enigma – the color providing a soft comfort in contrast to the hard expression her face wore that could put a Bastiodon to shame. The girl raised one of her neatly done eyebrows and curtly responded, "Oh no, go on. You were saying?"

There was a slightly delay in Sergio's reply as he searched for an appropriate response. Well, appropriate for him. _Are you going to let her talk to you like that?!_ _Get a grip, Sergio!_ "I, um…he didn't have to react like that, you know?"

Upon hearing his reply, Fennekin stopped baring her fangs at the Pawniard and looked at her owner with a confused look on her face. She was expecting something far more assertive and hearing him respond so meekly befuddled her.

"Maybe if you weren't be a creep, Shizukana wouldn't have attacked you."

"C-creep?!" The tone in his voice began to harden and Fennekin started feeling more confident. "I was just passing by, lady!"

"Is that why you were just standing there like an idiot?!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Right now! You were just staring like a total creep."

"I'm not a creep! I-I was just rattled by the fact that you sicked your walking kitchen set on me!"

"You want to talk about Pokemon? When was the last time you trimmed that rat's ear hair?"

Fennekin yelped at her, trying her best to intimidate the bluenette. It was not working the way she intended it to. The girl simply continued staring at Sergio, waiting for his next move.

"She's not a rat and she's a Pokemon, what's your excuse?"

"Excuse me?"

"You may leave. It's good that you know who you need to ask for permission."

"Please, a fifth grader has more authority than you, shorty."

The bulging vein on Sergio's forehead caused the bluenette to smirk, confirming that she hit him hard.

"I'm taller than you!"

"So was Napoleon Bonaparte," she countered.

"Hey!"

The teens were mere centimeters away from each other when they heard an adult voice trying to get their attention. Now that they were not inches from ripping each other's throats out, they realized that they had garnered quite a crowd to watch their verbal battle and in that crowd was an instructor – Dr. Beatty.

Ruby locks freely swayed from side-to-side behind her elegant frame as she examined the two teens with cold sapphire eyes.

Upon reaching them, she crossed her arms and shifted her weight onto one leg, and asked, "What seems to be the problem here? Ah, Sergio. Raven."

_Raven…_Shaking himself from his thoughts, Sergio asked, "You know her?"

"Well of course. She _is_ one of my coordinating students. Not even a month has passed and couples are already beginning to form, I see."

Sergio and Raven stammered in unison, "C-c-couple?!"

"Me with him?!"

"Me with her?!"

"Don't make me laugh!"

"I've met Carvahna nicer than her!"

"I have a height requirement for my boyfriends."

"I knew you were a shallow–" Sergio decided to use a more appropriate word, "girl. Just from one look at you."

"Right, because girls are just lining up to be with a guy that looks like he could be their stylist."

"Well now. You two sure are fond of each other. Look, you're making a big scene so I suggest you either work it out in a more civilized way or see the school counselor to resolve your issues."

"I've got an even better idea," Raven started. "You stay out of my way." Orchid spheres fiercely glared at the silver-haired boy for a moment before Raven turned to put away her ruby red guitar and walk off with Shizukana at her side.

Sergio merely watched after her, still seething with anger and Dr. Beatty's next comment sure did not help.

"I thought you were a gentleman, Sergio. You should know better than to yell at a lady."

He turned and started walking away while mumbling, "That's not a lady. That's Giratina."

* * *

Alex, Mark, and Kari sat at one of the tables inside the dining hall, surrounded by chattering students and clattering plates. Textbooks and loose sheets of paper were spread throughout their circular table and their dinner sat partially eaten because of the constant alternating between activities. Chimchar sat beside his coordinator, happily eating a banana nut muffin.

"Wait, I'm confused," said Alex. "How is my answer wrong? Grimer isn't an electric-type."

Kari nodded, "You're right, it isn't, but that's not what the question is asking. Let's reread it: 'Which of these Pokemon cannot be found in Kanto's abandoned power plant? A, Voltorb. B, Jolteon. C, Grimer. Or D, Electabuzz.'"

"Well it's a power plant so electric-type Pokemon are found there and Grimer is a poison-type."

Mark responded, "Most Pokemon there are electric-type with the exception of Grimer. All you had to know to answer this was that normally, no Eeveelutions can be found in the wild meaning that Jolteon can't possibly be in the power plant."

Alex ran both of his hands up his face and through his hair while letting out a frustrated and exhausted groan.

"This is ridiculous! I'll never get this class. Ms. Bennett's already called on me like five times and I haven't gotten a single question right. Plus I've still got to worry about Algebra and Chemistry and they're no walk in the park."

Kari crossed her arms, "You'd be doing a bit better if you didn't spend most of your time playing video-games."

"Hey, I do other stuff too!"

"You mean going to the mall to check out girls?"

"Alright, you have a point. But this stuff's boring! How do you guys learn stuff from all of your classes so easily?"

Mark shook his head, "Well we might make it look easy but it takes a lot of focus and persistence."

Alex ate a spoonful of chocolate pudding and responded, "And how do I get more of that?"

"How about we start easy?" Kari suggested. "Read up to this point in the book without breaks."

"Kari, that's a lot!"

"It's five pages. And it's not even front and back."

Alex let out a sigh, "Alright, alright." He reluctantly placed his elbows on the table and rested his face against the palms of his hands before grumbling, "If I wanted a lady nagging me, I would've brought my mom."

"What was that?!"

Alex rapidly waved his hands in defense, "Nothing, ma'am."

"That's what I thought." She viciously devoured a piece of chicken and glared at the emerald boy.

Alex teased, "Don't let Jarrel see you like that."

"W-what does he h-have anything to do with this?!" she stammered.

A mischievous smile stretched across his face as he shrugged, "I don't know. You two have been awfully chummy in gym class."

"T-that doesn't mean anything! Do your work before I decide to not help you with your homework ever again!"

"R-right! Sorry!" Alex quickly faced the book below him and moved his head synchronously with every word he read. Mark chuckled, despite not being incredibly fond of the topic.

After Kari had a few seconds to cool down, she turned to her best friend and asked, "Speaking of Jarrel, how's the egg he gave you?"

Mark grabbed the leather satchel beside him on the wooden bench, pulling it closer to him before lifting a flap to reveal the orange and cream-colored egg resting inside its container.

"It's great!" He genuinely meant that. Despite being in an unfavorable predicament, Mark could not deny that he was glad that this egg's progress was going well. The feeling that came with safely guiding a Pokemon into this world was the reason Mark became a breeder in the first place. "It won't be some time until it starts moving, though."

"Oh, I can't wait to see what comes out!"

"Well the mother was a–"

She quickly covered her ears and whined, "Shut up! Don't ruin the surprise!"

"Okay, okay! I won't."

Removing her hands, she responded, "I still can't believe Jarrel just gave you this egg. That's incredibly nice of him."

The small twinkle in Kari's eyes and slight spread of pink over her nose, discouraged Mark, but he continued the façade.

"Yeah, me either…" his trailing off did not go unnoticed by Kari.

"Something wrong?"

"Huh?" Having been caught with his guard down, Mark quickly shook his head, "No, not at all. Nothing's wrong. Why would something be wrong? Everything's great. It's great. It's great."

Kari eyed him curiously before saying, "Say it one more time and I'll believe you."

"It's great."

She nodded, "Ah, alright. If you say so. You know, we've kind of been friends since our cradle days. You can tell me if something's wrong."

"You know, all this talking isn't helping me concentrate!" They turned to Alex who had his chin pressed against the table and his hands in his hair as if he was ready to rip the brown locks off.

"Whose fault is that?" Mark countered. "Multitask."

Alex's voice cracked, "You make it sound so easy! Agh!"

He got out of his seat, making Mark ask, "Where are you going?"

"I need more pudding to focus."

Alex marched all the way to the dessert table where one chocolate pudding cup sat next to a dozen vanilla pudding cups. Aside from preferring chocolate over vanilla, Alex's immature mind steered him away from the white dessert. Before he could reach for the plastic container, a girl with a guitar case strapped to her back claimed it and began walking away, oblivious to Alex's presence and his failed goal.

"Nooooooooooo!" The brunette fell to his knees and held his head down in crushing defeat, causing the blue-haired girl to turn around, slightly confused.

She looked around, not knowing what elicited this reaction, but she soon lost interest and turned her head away.

Mark and Kari rushed over to Alex and asked him at eye level, "Alex, what's wrong."

With a broken spirit, he shakily pointed at the girl and responded, "T-the…pudding…cup."

They looked over at the girl, noticing her indulgence of the chocolatey treat. Her rosy eyes looked at Mark, making him fidget with anxiety. Once they locked with Kari's hazel orbs, they brightened upon recognition.

"Hi, Raven."

"Hey Kari," she said casually. "This guy a friend of yours?"

Kari looked at the mess next to her before sighing and turning back to the bluenette, "Unfortunately."

"She took my pudding cup," he squeaked.

Raven glanced at the delicacy in her hands before responding, "You're really crying over pudding? There's more on the table."

Alex quickly rose up and yelled, "But it's not chocolate!"

Raven was slightly taken aback by his outburst before retorting, "Just shut up and eat it. You can't seriously be this upset over pudding."

He responded with a threateningly serious tone, "Never speak so lightly of the almighty pudding."

"Riiight. It's just pudding, get over it. They'll have more tomorrow."

Alex stood up and as if nothing was wrong, answered, "Yeah, you're right. Besides, you're pretty cute so I'll let it slide. I'm Alex by the way. It's nice to meet you." He flashed her a goofy grin and put his hand forth.

Leaving her spoon inside the plastic container, Raven cautiously took his hand and with a quirked eyebrow, said, "It's nice to meet you too?" From the corner of her eye, Raven noticed someone staring at her. She was once again met with ruby orbs which shot away almost instantaneously. "And what's this one's problem?"

Kari waved her best friend away, "Mark? Nothing, he's just shy."

Alex nodded, "Yeah, and there's nothing better to help him get out of his comfort zone than to meet new people. Want to sit with us?"

"You're not going to stab me in the neck with a spork while I'm not looking?"

Alex put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Psh! Of course not!" He whispered to Mark, "Quick, grab the spork while she's not looking!"

Raven could not help but laugh at his antics and was left with no decision but to say yes. "Alright. You guys seem pretty chill so I'll hang out with you for a bit. But just for a bit."

When they arrived at their table, Raven took note of all of the notebooks and loose sheets of papers spread across the table.

Kari smiled and laughed, "Sorry about that, we were kind of doing our homework."

"You guys eat and do homework?"

Clearing a spot for Raven, Kari asked, "Yeah. Why? Do you not?"

"Only in the morning when I forgot to do my homework."

"These guys are total nerds," Alex clarified.

"There's nothing wrong with being diligent," Kari defended while crossing her arms and raising her head.

"Of course not," Raven said. "Unless you want to get your head dipped in the toilet."

Mark did not want to hear this conversation. He looked at his homework and started writing down answers while driving spoonfuls of food into his mouth with his free hand. Raven noticed how evasive Mark was acting but she was not going to work herself over it. He most likely had been bullied during their time there but that was not her problem.

"So what's with the guitar?" Alex asked. "I get if you know how to play it but it seems weird to be lugging it around."

"Sometimes I just get hit with inspiration for a new song so I just start playing my guitar."

"W-what if you can't play your guitar at the moment like during class?" Mark asked, still feeling a bit nervous around the beautiful girl.

"Then I just write the notes or the music in a notebook that I keep with me."

"T-that's pretty smart," Mark complimented.

Raven smiled, "Thanks."

Kari informed Raven, "You know, we actually have a friend who's pretty into music too. He even has a guitar that he likes playing."

"Yeah, sometimes he'll play songs for me and Mark in our room." Raven quirked an eyebrow and Alex realized the meaning that sentence could give off so he explained, "He's our roommate."

"Really? He sounds interesting. I'd like to meet him."

"Well he's on his way," Kari said. "He said he just had to do some stuff at the library."

"Is he a nerd like you guys?"

"Hey, don't group me up with them!" Alex whined.

"No, you're right," Raven responded. "You're a dimwit."

"Hey!"

Kari shook her head, "No, he's a researcher so he kind of _has_ to do work at the library."

"Oh, what does he study?"

"Mega Evolution."

"That thing Stacy does with her Audino?" Raven asked.

"Yeah."

"That's actually really cool. What's this guy's name? I might've met him before."

"Sergio," Kari responded.

Where had she heard that name before? It sounded so incredibly familiar and she could have sworn that she had heard it recently but for some reason a black silhouette answered her whenever she called for it. Suddenly, like a semi going downhill, it hit her. The silver hair, the tan, the glasses…It was _him_.

Raven remained calm as she replied, "That's an interesting name." She looked at her Xtransceiver to check the time before saying, "Hey, my roommate just sent me a text. She says she needs my help." She stood up and while still looking up, told them, "I'll see you guys ar–" but was cut off when she collided with someone.

"Watch where you're…fan-freaking-tastic." Sergio fixed his glasses and remarked, "You just couldn't resist following me, couldn't you?"

"What are you talking about? I was here first!"

"Oh so it's just a coincidence that out of the hundreds of students here, you happen to be hanging out with my friends?"

"Duh! Jeez, get over yourself."

"You guys know each other?" Mark asked.

"Looks like she knows everybody here," Alex joked. Sergio and Raven glared at him, making the emerald boy return to his textbook.

"I honestly can't believe a creep like you has friends," Raven jabbed.

Kari asked, "Uh, Sergio? What's she talking about."

"This guy was totally stalking me while I was playing music in the quad today!"

"Hold up! I was just passing by! I stopped because I like the song she was playing and then her stupid Pawniard jumped at me."

"Don't call him stupid! You're so stupid you couldn't even come up with a good comeback."

"Maybe because I almost died!"

"Oh you're so melodramatic."

"How about I get my Slowbro to throw you off the top of a building and then we'll see who's melodramatic."

"That's not the same thing, idiot!"

"Right, because getting my throat slit wouldn't kill me, right?"

Raven put her hands up and sarcastically cried, "Oh no! A two-foot Pokemon jumped on me. However will I escape?"

"Is this a bad time?"

The arguing teens turned to find Rafi standing next to them, innocence and obliviousness apparent in his forest eyes.

Sergio nodded slowly, feeling slightly awkward and frustrated by the younger researcher's sudden appearance, "Yeah, Rafi. It kind of is."

"Oh. Well I just had to tell you that this book you gave me has given me inspiration! I know exactly what to do my research on!"

"Hey! That's my book!" Sergio snatched it from Rafi's hand, but the boy remained cheery and ignorant. "Rafi, you can annoy me in class. Now shoo." He brushed Rafi along with his hand.

Raven crossed her arms, "I see you're a people person."

Kari defended Rafi, "Sergio, how could you be so rude to him? He's obviously excited to tell you what _you_ inspired him to study so you should hear him out."

Seeing no other way out of this, Sergio sighed and turned his body completely to face Rafi. Crossing his arms, he asked, "Alight, Rafi. What is it?"

He threw his hands up and gleefully announced, "I'm going to study moonlight!"

Sergio feigned his excitement, "Well that's great! Now will you leave please?"

"Wait, what do you mean by moonlight?" Mark asked. "Like the Pokemon move?"

He shook his head, "No. You see, the book Sergio has in his hands talks about how the moon has mystic properties that can affect the Earth. Some Pokemon can harness its energy to heal themselves with the move Moonlight while others can use it as a weapon in the form of Moonblast. It even talks about Clefairy and Clefable's relation to the moon."

Sergio perked up, "So does this mean you'll stop fooling around in Study Hall?"

Rafi shrugged, "Depends on my mood."

The violet boy's good mood evaporated and he glumly asked, "So why did you come tell me all this?"

"Well there's actually an island north of here where a lot of Clefairy live and as my mentor, I'd like you to come along with me."

"M-mentor?! When did I agree to this?"

"Aw," Kari said, "Sergio that was so sweet of you to take a younger student under your wing."

"I didn't!"

Alex pushed past Sergio and asked Rafi, "This Moonlight Island? Are there lots of cool Pokemon there?"

The eager boy nodded, "Yup!"

"Sweet?! Do you think I can tag along?"

"I don't see why not?"

Mark chimed in, "Yeah, I wouldn't mind seeing this place. It sounds really interesting. Plus it's good for someone holding a Pokemon egg to stay on the go."

"And if Mark is going, someone's going to have to take care of him," Kari added.

"Awesome!" cheered Rafi. "Looks like we've got our team, Sergio!"

"There is no team because I'm not going."

Raven scoffed, "Of course you're not. I bet you're just going to stay here and stalk some more girls. Don't worry, Rafi. I'll go with you."

Sergio got in her face and through gritted teeth said, "I don't stalk girls." He backed away from her and grabbed Rafi by the arm. "I'll be leading this mission." Raven took a firm hold of Rafi's free arm and pulled him towards her.

"I thought you didn't want to go with him."

"Well now I do."

"You can't change your mind like that."

"Well I just did! Rafi's my apprentice and I'm taking him to that island."

After being pulled back and forth enough times, the captured teen suggested, "Why don't both of you come?"

Sergio responded, "Because she isn't involved in any of this." Slinging an arm around Rafi, he led the boy away. "Come on, we've got some preparing to do for this trip."

Mark whispered to Kari, "Who do we go with?"

"I _think_ Sergio." She turned to Raven said, "Well it was fun hanging out with you, Raven. I'll see you in class?"

With her orchid orbs still locked on Sergio and Rafi's back, she simply nodded and allowed the other three students to gather their belongings and follow the researchers. She seethed with anger to the point that her face felt incredibly hot and sweat grazed her forehead. He was so frustrating and it upset Raven that she let him get to her so much. She simply sat back down at the table and ate a spoonful of pudding, trying to regain her calm.

**Special thanks to:**

**neauclearreactor5** for **Martin M. Heider**

**Condor-K** for **Rafi Hircus**

**Heart of the Anime** for **Raven Archer**

**And cut! Well that's that for this chapter and the next one will pick up where this one left off. I know that this was incredibly short compared to previous chapters but there wasn't much else I could do with this chapter. Now I know some people are going to think that I could've added another previously introduced character's perspective but there was no one with any significant development that I could've used. Anyways, let me know what you thought of the new OCs. I know I said I'd introduce two new ones at max but if I introduce a character and hardly use them in a chapter, it's because they'll get more spotlight later on.**

**With nothing else, I'll see you all next time! Legacy, out!**


	7. Boat Trip

**Howdy! Wow, this update was quick, wasn't it? Well compared to the rest of the updates before. I didn't have much of writer's block this time. I just struggled a bit with getting myself to work on it every time I turned my laptop on. I would go on Showdown for a bit and work simultaneously while waiting to find a match. But you guys don't care about any of that, right? Let's get to the reviews!**

**sonofthetrigod: I wouldn't say that Sergio is bad at reading social signals. It's just that in the last chapter, he was having a bad day. Everyone was just pissing him off.**

**DJTiki: I'm a pretty snippy guy. Glad you liked all of the characters (poor Martin, I know I gave him the short end of the stick). I have no idea how I missed that. I was proofreading like at one in the afternoon! I am because it's something I would say, haha.**

**Heart of the Anime: You do that and let me know how it goes, haha. I'd like to see what you come up with.**

**grimbutnotalways: Yeah, I guess not.**

**Misuel Raiteu: Oh lord, anyone reading my responses to your reviews is going to get lost with all of your name changes. I have heard of it, but I just haven't found time to start watching it. He just might ;). **

**neauclearreactor5: I know, I'm sorry that he barely got a mention but he'll appear more later on.**

**Now enjoy!**

**Chapter 6: Boat Trip**

Dr. Boykin sat in his office reading a newspaper, sipping occasionally from the mug he kept on his desk. The humming of a fan filled the otherwise quiet room, gently swaying his mocha locks to the side of his face. He felt his glasses slipping so he pushed them against his face so he could see the print in front of him more clearly.

His office was very simple, containing only his desk, his leather rolling chair, a couple of static chairs, a few photos, and some books shelves. Over the years, he really hadn't done much to make it stand out and he wasn't going to any time soon.

There was a small knock on the door that called his attention away from his newspaper.

"Come in," he said.

As the door opened, he turned his head to find Dr. Beatty with her delicate light hand on the doorknob. She was wearing her typical teaching attire: a colored blouse, black slacks, and a pair of heels.

"You always have to have your coffee in the morning, I see."

She closed the door behind her and took a seat in front of her colleague while he placed the newspaper on his desk and turned his chair so he could face her.

"It's tea actually," he replied casually. "What brings you?" He gestured towards the candy bowl sitting on his desk.

"Oh no thank you. I wouldn't want to ruin my teeth.

"Of course. A coordinator has to look presentable, right?"

She smiled, "Why yes she does. Anyways, I came to tell you that Mr. Querrero thinks it would be a good idea for the teachers to have a night out so we can all get to know each other and build teamwork."

"Yes, he told me about it earlier in the week."

"Are you going?"

"I told him I would and you know how I like to keep my promises."

"Yes, of course. Why did you make the promise in the first place? Being in big groups isn't exactly your ideal situation."

He responded nonchalantly, "Just thought it would be fun."

Dr. Beatty gave him a nod before asking, "Did I disturb your reading?"

"A little," he responded playfully, while flipping the page to see if there was anything else interesting. "Hmm…"

"What is it?"

"It says here that there are kidnappings in New Port City."

"There's always crime."

"But the interesting part is that the police have found webs at the crime scenes."

"Webs? Do you think that Pokemon might be involved?"

"Most likely."

She noticed the change in his demeanor. He was tense. The veins on his hands were bulging and his jaw was clenched tight. The redhead recalled Dr. Boykin's past and how he used to be a professional trainer – one that cared deeply for his Pokemon. Seeing them used for selfish gain must have been hard on him.

"You were once a trainer, weren't you?"

"Yes."

"Why did you stop?"

"I reached a point where I just wasn't cut out for it. My team couldn't compete against those that were bred to accentuate a Pokemon's natural talents and tutored to know the best moves. I was the underdog that wanted to prove that Pokemon could win through sheer determination and hard work. Unfortunately the weight of the top dogs had eventually crushed me and my career was over."

Dr. Beatty's expression showed her sympathy for him. She almost felt guilty for having earned the title of "Top Coordinator" more than once during her travels. "David…" she croaked.

Placing the paper down, Dr. Boykin asked, "So what does Alexander want to do later?"

She accepted the change in topic and responded, "He said he wanted to eat at the Pansear Pot."

With a smile, he replied, "That sounds like a good idea to me."

* * *

The lucid ocean waves neared and fled away from Alex and his friends as they stood on Star Island's northern beach with a fishing boat resting patiently nearby. The afternoon sun was still high in the sky but on its way to the horizon, trekking slowly across the heavens. The beach Pokemon like Krabby and Staryu could be found all over the hot sand and occasionally, rocks would move to reveal Dwebble underneath. Wingull and Pelipper passed by to and from the ocean, often perching on a large rock or tree branch.

Aaron held the rope that kept his fishing boat from floating away and refused to relinquish its hold until he was finished explaining to Sergio the do's and don'ts of boating.

"And remember, once you get to de island, you eidder hafta tai dis rope securely or toss da makeshift anchor so dat it doesn't go floating away."

Sergio apathetically stuck his pinky into his ear and twisted it a bit while responding, "Yeah, yeah, I know. Why don't you come along if you don't think we can handle this?"

"Because I have to take care of meh classmates' Pokemon to make sure dey get an egg."

"Alright then, I'll take good care of your boat. Now will you just have a little faith in me?"

"Does March Twenty-Furst ring a bell?" the taller boy asked to remind his friend.

"Oh come on, it was a flock of Spearow and I had nothing else to defend myself with. I just sort of grabbed your fishing rod by instinct."

"It was an expensive rod!"

"And I paid you back for it," Sergio reasoned.

Kari intervened, "If you don't trust Sergio, you can trust me, right?"

Aaron let out a sigh of defeat before saying, "Yes, but you've got Alex and Rafi wit you, too."

"Hey, I'm responsible!" Alex whined.

Mark agreed, "Yeah, he hasn't lost any of his textbooks yet."

"See?"

"I know, but can you blame meh for worrying? Getting a fishing boat, even a cheap one isn't easy."

Sergio reinforced his friend's belief in him, "We're just going to Moonlight Island for a few hours and we'll bring it right back."

"Alright, you guys should get goin' den. De boat is a liddal small for all five of yah so Alex shood ride his Charizard."

"Sure thing, boss." He unclipped the spherical device from his waist, enlarged it, and called forth his fire starter Pokemon. "Charizard, you think you can give me a lift?" A proud roar answered his question.

Aaron nodded, "Okay, everyone else inside de boat. Gio, do you remembah how I showed you to drive it?"

"Yeah, I use this key to turn start the engine and move this up and down to accelerate and decelerate and side-to-side to steer."

"Yes, but be gentle."

"Don't worry, I will."

Once everyone except for Alex, Sergio, and Aaron was inside the boat, the ebony teen handed the rope to Rafi and pushed the vessel further into the water with the help of his silver-haired friend. Once the boat was afloat, Sergio jumped in and started up the engine. With a wave to Aaron, he led the aquatic vehicle further into the ocean.

As Alex mounted his orange beast, Aaron told him, "Remembah to have fun, brudda!"

The brunette nodded, "Definitely. Let's hang out when we get back."

"Ya. Give me a call."

"Alright. Ready Charizard?" The fire-type nodded and with a powerful flap of his wings, the two were in the air, racing off after the boat.

Aaron had to hold onto his beanie to prevent it from flying off and shield his eyes to protect them from the sand that was kicked up by Charizard's sudden flight. He stood on the beach, watching his friends as they traveled to their planned destination. Once they were a good distance away, he turned around and walked back to campus.

* * *

Raven's booted foot kicked a bent can across the hard singeing sidewalk that she treaded on. Her shoulders swung back and forth with each step and her feet stomped the ground, scaring away anyone that approached her. Bright orchid eyes burned with anger and her face was sporting a choleric expression that told people, "Move or die…"

A meek, black-haired girl diligently followed along behind her, too scared to walk next to her, but also too fearful of keeping her distance. What if someone were to take her away? She was safer with the rampaging blue-haired Tauros in front of her.

Raven began talking to herself as she marched, "How dare he not let me go along? He just wants to go to spite me!" She suddenly stopped, making the other girl flinch and freeze in place. "That little prick! I'll show him!" With her hands held close to her flat chest, the girl cautiously approached Raven until she was right behind her. She tapped on the bluenette's shoulder and was answered by an abrupt, "What?!"

Upon seeing the short girl inch back with fear – icy spheres trembling – Raven's expression softened a bit and she asked, "Sorry about that, Alaina." She looked to her right at the passing cars. "I'm just really pissed, you know?"

Alaina mumbled something but Raven could barely hear it so she said, "Alaina, we've been over this. You have to speak up."

The frail pale skinned girl repeated what she said but Raven still couldn't hear clearly. Finally, the bluenette tilted her neck so Alaina could speak into her ear. Her voice was still faint but Raven could understand what she was saying.

"W-what exactly are we doing on Crescent Island if Moonlight Island is north?"

Raven stood up straight and responded, "We're looking for a way to get onto the island. Neither of us has a water-type Pokemon to swim all the way over there."

"W-why am I here?"

"Would you let your fifteen-year old roommate go onto a strange island all by herself?"

"N-no, but why do you even w-want to go in the first place?"

"I've already gone over the story, Alaina. I'm not letting that silver-haired freak win!"

The blue-eyed girl mumbled, "It sounds like you like him."

"What was that?" Raven asked genuinely oblivious.

"N-nothing. What are we looking for here?"

"I don't know, Alaina. Now let me think." Raven placed her hands on her hips and stared holes into the ground while thinking of a way to get to Moonlight Island. She snapped her fingers and pointed upwards with her index, "I've got it!" Taking hold of Alaina's thin wrist, Raven energetically said, "Come with me!"

After running for several minutes, the girls arrived at a shipyard where large containers of varying colors were stacked on top of each other, waiting to be lifted by a crane and placed on a boat.

"R-raven…" the pale girl whimpered. "W-why are we here?"

Raven seemed to be focused on finding their way to the boats so she absentmindedly said, "There's got to be a ship around here that can take us there."

A grimy voice broke her from her thoughts, "Is you ladies needing of some assistance?" The voice was full of malicious intent and it crawled through the girls' eardrums, startling them. Alaina jumped and cowered behind Raven as they turned to find a group of leather-clad men approaching them.

The one that spoke was sitting on one of the metal containers and was staring right at them with hungry violet eyes. He wore the same attire as his friends except for a striped blue bandana tied around his neck. The sun high above made it slightly difficult to see his face but his neat bald head reflected its rays better than any mirror. Placing his hands on the edge of his yellow painted seat, he pushed himself off and landed in a crouching position, never once breaking his gaze. Raven reciprocated her gaze but noticed that the other thugs were closing in on them from the corner of her eye.

A mischievous smirk stretched across his face as he asked, "Well?"

She curtly asked, "Would you mind pointing us in the direction of the boats?"

Maintaining his same smirk, the thug pointed off in some direction and responded, "They're that way." He began approaching them, making Raven guide Alaina backwards. "But why are you in such a hurry?" Unable to huddle any more, the girls stood still, keeping an eye on all of the men around them. "Wouldn't yous prefers spendin' a bit of time with me and my associates?"

"No. We're in a hurry."

He chuckled slightly, "Well if that's the case go ahead." He moved aside and stretched his hand out to his left.

Raven eyed him, suspicious of his words. Taking note of this, the man nudged his head towards the exit, never looking away from her. Alaina took a hold of Raven's wrist as the bluenette slowly led them out of the circle, never turning her back to the bald man.

"You know…" the girls froze – their muscles locked. "It's a real shame yous can't stay. We's was just about to play a game." Raven didn't bother asking what he was talking about. She just kept her lips tightly pressed against each other. Her expression remained hard and her eyes kept a cold air about them. He revealed the inside of his jacket where Poke Balls hung patiently against the ebony fabric.

Raven's orchid eyes widened, understanding what he was about to do so she turned and yelled, "Run!" Her legs moved as fast as they could and despite Alaina being very thin, she seemed to be keeping up. Neither girl dared to look back so they were completely caught off guard when Alaina's footsteps stopped altogether. Raven whipped around – breath heavy, chest tight, and legs burning – to find her roommate pinned against the ground by what seemed like a spider web. Her orchid eyes darted back and forth, trying to find out what attacked. She saw a shadow beneath her and her eyes widened with terror when she saw a large body with eight long legs lowering itself on a thread.

She tried to turn her head, but was quickly pinned to the ground by a thin yet durable sticky substance. Her heart pounded against her chest as she tried to escape her threaded prison. She pulled and kicked and yelled for help and finally, she cried. Warm tears trailed down her face, smudging against the pavement beneath her.

Raven could hear small whimpers coming from nearby which, she assumed, came from Alaina. The frail girl must have given up all hope the minute she was captured unlike Raven who at least fought for freedom. But at the moment, the bluenette couldn't blame her roommate. She was feeling the same hopelessness.

Suddenly, Raven heard footsteps and everything stopped. The cawing coming from the bird Pokemon above, the sounds of cars in the distance, the ship horns. It all just muted, lost in the background of the footsteps. And there wasn't just a pair of steps. It was a group. It was the group of thugs that she tried to desperately to run away from and here they came. It must have been.

She struggled to turn her head to face them, but the web restricted her from doing so, so she just let it drop back against the ground regardless of how hot it was. This pain was nothing compared to what she was sure would happen to her.

If only she could reach her Poke Balls. Shizukana could easily get her out of this, but her hand was stuck and her holster was just out of reach. How cruel it was to have what she wanted – what she needed – more than anything so close, but inaccessible.

"Hey, there are some girls over here!" That voice didn't belong to the bald man. It could have been one of his thugs, though. "They're stuck!"

The man walked in front of Raven's face and to her relief, he was not in leather. He wore working boots and overalls. He must have been one of the shipyard workers and Arceus was kind enough to lead him right to her. His expression was very soft, full of sympathy for the girls. He could only imagine how scared she must have been.

"We'll get you out, okay?"

She nodded with a hopeful smile as she patiently waited for the man to cut the thread with his keys. To her dismay, he could not cut through it but luckily, he called over a Machoke to rip the webs apart with his superior strength.

The worker reasoned, "That web was really tough. It must've come from a Pokemon. Girls, can you tell us who trapped you?"

Raven looked over to Alaina who quietly stared at the ground with puffy red eyes and tear stains marking her cheeks. She looked back at the man and responded, "There were these…these thugs. They sent out a Pokemon to catch us."

The man nodded apprehensively then looked at one of his coworkers and said, "Call the cops to take these girls home. It looks like the Arachnid Attackers did it."

* * *

Rafi sat at the front of the boat, enjoying the wind whipping his black locks wildly and drops of ocean water spraying against his face with the engine humming behind him. Mark and Kari sat on opposite sides of the boat and Sergio steered in the back while all of their bags and equipment were scattered around their feet. Nearby, Charizard glided over the ocean surface, throwing up droplets of water with each flap of his powerful wings. Alex held onto his Pokemon's neck tightly but did not forget to enjoy the view of the bird Pokemon that would occasionally fly by or the water-types that would appear underneath the bouncing waves.

Mark turned to Sergio and asked, "Hey, when did you learn how to drive a boat?"

"Well I'm not pro but Aaron taught me the basics a few weeks after he got it last year."

"Not that I'm not happy that he has a boat," Kari started, "But how did he even afford it?!"

"He saved up money from working in a hardware store in town."

"He works?" Rafi asked.

"Yeah. His family isn't exactly the wealthiest and he didn't get in on a scholarship so he's doing work study to pay off his education. You guys didn't know about that?" He looked at each of his friends finding obliviousness on Rafi's face, as usual.

Kari scoffed, "I've got a full scholarship!"

Mark rolled his eyes, "Someone thinks she's cool."

"I beg your pardon? I _am_ cool!"

"What about you?" Rafi asked Sergio.

"I came on Professor Sycamore's recommendation so the school is offering me a partial loan while he's paying for the rest."

"That's really nice of him," Kari said. "How did you even start working for him?"

"Well you guys know that I used to be a trainer, right?"

"I didn't," interrupted Rafi.

"Well I was. Anyway, I travelled around Kanto for a bit, battling wild Pokemon and other trainers, including gym leaders, until Professor Oak sent me a weird stone that one of Professor Elm's aids found in the Slowpoke well in Azalea Town. After talking to a friend about it, Professor Oak gave the stone to me and it turned out to be the Slowbronite needed for my Slowbro to Mega Evolve."

Mark noted, "I still don't get why you changed your occupation when you could've kept on going and trained your Slowbro."

"Well to tell you the truth, I haven't completely given up on being a trainer. Back in Kanto, I have a rival who can also Mega Evolve his Pokemon. His name is Bart and during one of our encounters while on our separate travels, we had a battle between my Slowbro and his Beedrill and something strange happened."

Sergio cut the engine off so his friends could hear him clearly and noticing this, Alex had Charizard turn around and hover in one spot. They all watched him curiously, waiting to know what happened. What was the turning point in Sergio's career? Had something happened to his Slowbro that drove him to find answers?

"Suddenly, Bart's Beedrill just dropped and reverted to his normal form."

"Did someone spray bug repellent?" Alex joked.

Sergio shook his head, "It wasn't until recently that I discovered why. Bart had been going through a bit of a losing streak before we battled and he had been losing faith in not only his own skills as a trainer but also in Beedrill's fighting abilities. Their bond began to break and without a strong bond, a Pokemon cannot Mega Evolve."

"So what does that have to do with you becoming a researcher?" Rafi asked.

"Well that incident bugged me in the months that followed so I had to figure out why it happened. I talked to Professor Oak and he sent me to his friend, Mr. Fuji, who told me everything that he knew about Mega Evolution. He didn't know much more than I did at the time, but hardly anyone did. Professor Oak then referred me to Professor Sycamore and I studied under him for about a year before coming here."

"That's interesting," Rafi said. "Most researcher students here come because they want to get hired by Professors and other scientists when they graduate. You did it the other way around."

"Yeah. Sycamore is the leading scientist on Mega Evolution but I came here because I felt that I could study more by watching Mega Evolution in action. Think about it. Back at the lab, Sycamore only has a Garchomp with Garchompite but there was no trainer for him to form a bond with and the only trainers there are the occasional rookies that pass by to pick up their starter and a Pokedex. I couldn't learn much from that. But if I were to go to a place with a concentration of young trainers full of energy, there had to be at least a few with Key Stones and Mega Stones for me to observe, right? Plus the library at the academy is no joke so they have a few readings there from around the world about Mega Evolution."

Rafi dramatically wiped a tear from his eye and clapped, "Absolutely brilliant! I knew that I made the right choice for a mentor! Come here, I must give you a hug!"

"Rafi, stop! You're rocking the boat!" Sergio snapped while keeping the first-year at bay with the bottom of his shoe. The younger boy stumbled, bumping into Kari and knocking her out of the boat in the process.

"Ugh! Rafi!" she whined.

Chimchar jumped on Rafi and started clawing away at his face as punishment for pushing his master off.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!" Rafi yelled as he quickly stood up and desperately tried to get Chimchar off of him.

The boat started rocking again, much more violently this time, prompting Mark and Sergio to yell, "Rafi, stop!"

The boat shook so much, that Rafi fell on Mark, effectively pushing them both out of the water with Chimchar still on the researcher's face.

"Aw man," said Mark, clearly not happy about his clothes getting wet.

"I hope you're happy with yourself," Kari chided as Sergio helped her back onto the boat. "You've gone and gotten Chimchar wet!" The fire ape voiced his anger with cries and shrieks.

"I'm alright, Kari, thanks for the concern," Mark said sarcastically as he climbed aboard with Chimchar in his hand.

They heard laughter from above and looked to find Alex struggling to breathe as he held onto his draconic partner. Suddenly, the brunette felt wind beat against his back and his eyes shot open. He could see Charizard above him and before he knew it, salty water flooded his mouth and his eyes began to burn. He frantically moved his arms until his head was above the rocking waves and he could hear his friends' laughter.

The roaring coming from Charizard almost sounded like laughter as well, making Alex shout, "Oh I am so getting you back for this, Lizard Breath! This is just great, now I can't ride your back or your tail might get wet!"

Sergio taunted him, "Better start swimming, then." Empathizing with Alex, the silver-haired boy jumped into the water and instructed, "Get onto the boat for some leverage then jump onto Charizard's back. You'll dry quickly once you guys start flying again."

* * *

With Mark's help, Alex boarded the vessel and whistled for Charizard to come down. Even with all of the horseplay, Sergio was beginning to feel anxious now that he was in the water. The matter of that fact was that he was in the ocean where water-type Pokemon lived – both friendly and…unfriendly. He wanted to avoid ridicule for being so paranoid so he kept quiet but his eyes began to wander, looking all around the area. He stayed alert for fins, but he failed to see any which could have been either good or bad.

From afar, Sergio could see the end of a finned blue tail flick water and his eyes widened. "Guys, what the hell was that?!"

The others followed his eyes but there was nothing there.

Alex laughed, "Good one, bro. Don't jinx us now, alright?"

"Look again!" A set of white fins attached to a long serpentine body surfaced before submerging again, causing the group to panic.

"Charizard, hurry up!" Alex called.

"No time! Grab my hand!"

Complying, Rafi helped Sergio onto the boat, but now there was hardly any room to move. Sergio frantically crawled over his friends in a desperate attempt to reach the ignition. Just as his finger reached the keys, a foreign body bumped into the boat and moved his hand.

Alex called to his partner again, "Charizard, can you see what's down there?"

He looked from left to right but could not find the strange creature that hid beneath the waves. Suddenly, an enormous blue water snake with a gaping jaw sprang out of the water directly underneath Charizard, knocking him out of the air.

Alex's hand struggled to grab the lizard's Poke Ball, but when it finally grasped the sphere, he shot a red beam of energy to save the orange beast from getting wet.

"Sergio, hurry!" Kari cried.

"Alex, sit up right! I can't reach the keys!"

"I can't, Kari's in the way!"

"Rafi's knees are in my back! Rafi, jump on Mark!" Kari yelled hysterically.

"Gladly," he said before throwing himself on top of the ruby boy.

"Wait, what?" Mark yelled.

The rest of the group shifted so that Sergio could reach the key. He twisted it and the engine began roaring, but it was nothing compared to the vicious cry coming from the nearby monster.

Sergio sat upright and announced, "We're getting out of here." His voice contained a tone of confidence mixed with urgency.

The boat lifted slightly from the powerful thrust of the motor before landing roughly on the waves and skidding off. Their course was redirected when the sea beast bumped into their vessel once again. Sergio tried to regain control and just as he did, a finned blue tail lifted them into the air, allowing them to crash back onto the ocean surface. Luckily, they landed upright, but any assurance that the group felt disappeared when they felt the boat flip over and watched the Gyarados' tail join the rest of its body underwater.

The adolescents fell into a state of chaos as they scanned the area for the water serpent. Sergio wasted no time in swimming over to the upside down boat to flip it back over.

"Help me flip it back!" he yelled.

Rafi was too busy yelling hysterically to hear him while Mark was simply frozen with fear, drowning out all sounds. Alex and Kari, on the other hand, kicked and pounded away at the water with their arms to reach Sergio and the boat – Kari was mindful of the fire chimp clinging to her wet hair. Together, they succeeded in flipping it over but the Gyarados rose, lifting its head as high as possible, to analyze its prey and intimidate them at the same time. Sergio turned his head to Mark and Rafi who switched from panic mode to survival mode and began swimming over to the boat.

"Mark, quick!" Alex started, "What's Gyarados' typing?"

"I, erm, i-it's uh, it's water and flying!"

"Perfect!" He quickly tossed up a Poke Ball and it opened to reveal his Pikachu. While the yellow mouse was still in the air, Alex called out, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Gyarados!"

"No, wait Alex!" Kari yelled.

Pikachu was already descending when he released the bolt of lightning so it struck Gyarados at the base, where its body met the ocean. The discharge of electricity, spread throughout the water, shocking the group as well. Feeling weak, Sergio felt his body numb and his eyelids heavy. The last thing he remembered was the back of his head meeting the cool ocean water and his hair waving in the current.

* * *

The plastic ceiling fan spun slowly above Raven's head, barely affecting the room's temperature. Alaina sat in the seat next to her with her hands in her lap and her gaze directed downward. On the other side of the large desk sat a dark-haired man holding a pen in his right hand to jot down notes on the clipboard set before him. His features were cut and well defined but his complexion was beginning to waver along with the small traces of gray in his hair. His dark eyes held wisdom earned not through years but through experiences and his expression showed his focus and concern regarding the matter. This man's brown trench coat screamed detective to Raven but he had introduced himself as an International Police officer, codenamed: Looker.

Officer Jenny was also in the room, but she stood by the door and on the other side of the arch was one of the shipyard workers that had found the girls, specifically the one that ordered the Machoke to free them from their prisons.

Looker's steely gaze made Raven feel uncomfortable, not because his status as an officer intimidated her but because his serious expression actually looked goofy. The slightly downward curve of his lips, the knitted brows, the furrowed forehead. It was almost laughable. It made it difficult for her to take him seriously and that's what made her uncomfortable. She knew that she had to take this seriously. She was almost kidnapped, but still. That face of his.

He carefully placed his elbows on the desk, locked his fingers together, and rested his chin on them before saying, "This man says that he found you stuck in webs. Not just normal webs, no. He found you in very tough, very rigid webs, leading me to believe that they came from a Pokemon. Yes!"

His manner of speaking was even sillier than his face. Raven couldn't do this. She refused to cooperate with such a ridiculous excuse for an officer. Her ten-year old brother was more intimidating than this man.

Looker continued, "Could you explain to me what led to your capture?"

"No," she responded flatly.

He was taken aback, literally. His head bounced back slightly from the shock. He was expecting a story considering that people do not find themselves caught in webs on a day-to-day basis. His brows became heavy again and the confused look dissipated. The detective understood what was going on. Or at least he thought he did.

"I understand that this experience must be traumatic but we cannot help if you do not tell us what happened."

"That's fine. We don't need help."

Officer Jenny had been thrown off by her initial refusal but she realized that Raven was just being difficult. It had nothing to do with whether the experience left her traumatized or not.

"Listen," the teal-haired officer began, "You need to tell us what happened or it could happen again. This is a real problem that needs to be solved."

"Then solve it." Again, the officers and the worker were all caught off guard by Raven's blunt response. Alaina showed no response or emotion. She was in her own little world. "If this has happened before and it happened to us, you aren't doing your job right. What I say won't make any difference."

She felt a rugged hand gently take her shoulder, causing her to look up at the man it belonged to. She waited patiently for him to say something.

"When I found you, I could tell that you were crying." His grip tightened to show her his concern. "Something happened back there. Your friend is practically traumatized by what went down."

Raven scoffed, "I live with this girl and she's always quiet. This isn't anything special."

Officer Jenny took a step forward and raised her voice, "You're not taking this seriously!" She was clearly frustrated by the adolescent's behavior.

Without even glancing at her, Looker raised his hand to halt her approach and took over.

"The victims of these crimes, never are they here to tell us what happened." Raven's eyes widened slightly but she tried to control her shock. "So please tell us what happened." Moments passed by in which the adults waited patiently for a response, but it never came. "Did you at least see what they looked like? Before you decide to respond or not, I want you to know that it would greatly help us bring these people to justice."

Silence. More Silence. Even more silence. The room sat still until Raven's lips finally cracked again. "You're looking for a bald guy with purple eyes and he likes to wear leather. That's all I saw."

"You didn't see the Pokemon that–"

Looker stopped Jenny again. He understood that Raven was done talking about the experience and regardless of how helpful she could have been if she lost the attitude, they could not force her to talk. She was clearly too stubborn for that.

"I did."

Looker scanned the room for the source of that voice. Where could it have come from? There were only five of them and no one had come in or out of that room since he'd entered. Finally, he realized that it belonged to Alaina. Of course he'd never heard that voice before. She'd been quiet the entire time. According to Raven, Alaina was incredibly shy and introverted so it would be foolish of him to pressure her and end up scaring her away so he patiently waited for her answer.

Raven had no reason to tell Alaina not to speak. It was the bluenette's choice to withhold her tongue and now it was her roommate's to reveal the Pokemon's identity. In all honesty, Raven did not even see what the Pokemon looked like so she had no say in the matter. Alaina could be lying for all she knew, but it was very unlikely.

Alaina's voice was incredibly soft so Looker and Officer Jenny had to lean in to understand what she was saying. It also didn't help that she kept her neck craned and her gaze low.

"I-it was a bug-type Pokemon…with six yellow legs – four in front and two on its back. It was red with…with black stripes and a white horn on its head. It was…big…bigger than a Hariyama."

They waited several seconds to see if she would continue, but her expression remained blank – almost detached. Looker gave a nod, knowing that he had everything that he could possibly get from them.

"We should get them home safely," suggested the worker.

Looker gave another nod, this time of agreement. He turned to the female officer and asked, "Do you think you could drive them to their house?"

"Yeah. Girls, where do you live?"

Regardless of her speaking abilities in social situations, Alaina was not planning on answering because she was unsure of what Raven wanted to do. Did she want to reveal their real home or a fake one? If the latter, what would they do once they got to the fake address? There was no possibility of Officer Jenny just leaving them there no matter how frustrated Raven could get her.

"We're students at Star Academy," Raven answered.

Looker rephrased his previous statement, "Do you think you can get them back to their dorms safely?"

"Yes. Are you going to contact their dean?"

"No," Raven stated coldly. "I'd appreciate it if you kept the school out of this. It's better that way."

Looker shook his head, "I've played by your terms but this I cannot do. Your dean has to know that his students were in danger. I understand that this could result in stricter rules at your school but with this band of criminals running around, I believe it to be the best course of action."

Raven was not going to dispute this. She didn't have any more energy to do it. It had been a long day what with Physical Education, Music, Contest Essentials, the long ride to Crescent Island, almost getting kidnapped, and finally the interrogation. She was just too tired to fight anymore. She'd used most of her will to fight in that web. She wouldn't even be able to challenge Sergio. All she wanted to do was go home.

* * *

Nine o'clock. That's what Aaron's PokeNav displayed on its screen as he walked on the forest green carpet of Ventus Dorm's third floor. He stopped in front of room three-hundred and one and pounded away at the dark brown door, causing other students to exit their rooms out of curiosity. He didn't care. That silver-haired dork had his boat and didn't even both to call once they reached the island.

It wasn't just the boat, though. Sergio had told him that they would only be gone for a few hours. Five hours later and he hadn't heard a word from anyone. He began worrying about his boat the moment he saw it speed away. He began worrying about his friends at eight o'clock. Now, he was scared. He was praying to Arceus that Sergio was just being lazy and inconsiderate like he always was and that they just left the boat lying somewhere and went to their rooms. But even then, Mark or Kari would have had the courtesy to let him know that they had returned.

Something was definitely wrong and it did not help that no one was answering the door with how hard Aaron was hitting it. He was ready to punch right through the wood and plaster and open the door from the inside.

"Hey, what's the problem?"

Aaron turned to find Ventus Dorm's resident assistant approaching him in his signature royal blue jumpsuit.

"Ow's it goin', Randy?" Aaron waved with faux enthusiasm.

"Don't 'Ow's it goin', Randy' me," he responded, butchering Aaron's accent. The round scruffy haired brunette pointed a finger at him accusingly, "You're making noise and that don't fly. Not on my watch, mister! Now explain yourself." His voice was coarse and sounded as if he was tiring himself out just by talking.

Aaron waved his hands defensively and quickly shook his head, raising Randy's suspicions. "It's nothing. Sergio borrowed meh fishin' rod and forgot to give it back."

"Well there's no need for all of this here commotion. Don't you have his number?"

"I tried callin' him, but he doesn't pick up. I'll just tawk to him about it layta. Bye Randy!" Aaron left before the R.A. could question him further.

The ebony teen made his way to the first floor and out of the building. His gaze was aimed at the floor in front of him and his legs moved like pistons – quickly and mechanically. He didn't have a destination in mind. He just knew that he couldn't stay in one place knowing that his friends could be stuck in the middle of the ocean or lost on Moonlight Island or Arceus-forbid…they could be dead.

"Whoa! Whoa! Where's the fire, big guy?"

Aaron was so distracted by his thoughts that he was about to walk right past Stacy and Vera without even acknowledging them. The girls could see the confusion on his face when he looked up at them. It took him a while to realize that Vera had asked him the question.

"Is everything alright?" Stacy asked. Her expression was soft and her voice full of concern.

Aaron looked around, noting that there were quite a bit of students outside, talking or walking to their dorm buildings. To avoid someone from listening in on their conversation, Aaron grabbed the girls by their wrists and said, "Come with me."

Vera retaliated, "Hey! Hands off before I pop you one!"

Without breaking a whisper, Aaron said, "Don't draw attention!"

The urgency in his voice made it sound like he was yelling. They knew that he was serious and that they had to go with him. The trio walked until the lights from the dorms and lampposts were mere specs through the trees.

"What's the matter?" Stacy reiterated.

"Today, I let Sergio, Alex, Mark, Kari, and anodder kid borrow meh boat to go to Moonlight Island."

Vera interrupted, "Wait, you left your boat with Sergio and let some kid you don't know ride it and I'm not even allowed to get inside of it? While it's on land?!"

"Vera, ju know why and dat's not important raight now. Dey left around four and dey're still not back. Sergio hasn't even called or texted to let me know if everyting is okay."

Stacy responded, "Well you do know how inconsiderate he is."

"I know, but Kari and Mark went too and dey haven't contacted me eidder."

"That is concerning," Diamond said. "What do you think could've happened?"

"Ahm not sure. I don't wanna tink about what _could_ have happened. I want to know what _did_."

"Alright, a search and rescue mission!" Vera cheered. "We can ride Finn!"

"Vera, this is serious," Stacy scolded. "Our friends could be lost or hurt right now." She didn't dare say anything else from fear that that would jinx them. "We have to tell the faculty so they can send a search party."

"I jest tawked to Randy and lied to his face."

"Well you're going to have to go back to him and tell him the truth."

Arceus he hated how Stacy was always right.

"No, you're right. I jast hope dey do come back before de school sends out a search party."

"So no search and rescue mission?" Vera pouted.

"Hopefully not," Aaron responded broodingly.

**Special Thanks to:**

**shinymudkip25 **for **Alaina Spencer**

**You wouldn't believe how happy I was when I saw that you wanted to submit her again because she is without a doubt one of my favorite characters from the original story. And this is the first character from the previous story other than Alex and Mark that I've revealed. You all may now begin speculating who else will be returning.**

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Could you believe that I was worried that I wouldn't be able to make an intermediate chapter between their departure from Star Island and arrival at Crescent Island long enough? It came out to the average length I like for these chapters so I was more than satisfied with it and I hope you all are as well.**

**QOTD: On a scale of 1-10, what do you think is the likelihood that everyone made it out of the shipwreck in one piece? 1 being that you think that they are all dead and 10 being that you think that they are all okay. And give your reasoning. (Note: The question isn't asking what the likelihood of someone surviving a shipwreck in general is. It pertains specifically to this situation and what you think I'll have the outcome be.)**

**That's it for now! Leave your thoughts, questions, and concerns on this chapter (or a previous chapter) in the reviews and I'll see you all next time! Legacy, out!**


	8. Sergio's Guilt

**Yo! What's going on, guys! So I know you've had to wait for a bit for this chapter after that cliffhanger but the next chapter is here! On top of that, I have two important announcements!**

**Announcement 1: Since this quarter will be busy with this difficult research methods class that I'm taking, updates will not be frequent so this is most likely it until Winter Break. I recommend taking your time and enjoying every correctly spelled word of this chapter (because I might've misspelled some words for trying to get this chapter out before I got really busy).**

**Announcement 2: So thanks to DJTiki we will soon have a Pokemon forum where we can discuss different topics such as our favorite stories, writing tips, and anything Pokemon-related! There will even be a section for topics outside of Pokemon. And guess what? We're going to have a section for creating OCs and another section where you get to roleplay with them! Anyways, the name of this forum is called The Starfield and both myself and Heart of the Anime will be helping DJTiki run the forum as moderators. It'll be up on October 20****th****, 2015 so be sure to check that out!**

**Now to respond to some reviews!**

**reven228: There was no captain. There were five students and two Pokemon on a fishing boat. Not sure what story **_**you**_** were reading, haha.**

**Martyn: I've seen you write that idea on multiple other review sections. If you're going to make suggestions, make ones that are going to help the story or you're going to make people raise their eyebrows at your suggestion like I did. Not being mean. Just being brutally honest as most of my readers are familiar with how upfront I am.**

**DJTiki: Well then…I'm going to go throw my laptop away now.**

**Heart of the Anime: Your prize is lemons ;) He kind of already has angered her already. Twice.**

**ThePrinceOfLight: No worries, all I ask is for my readers to enjoy this story.**

**Engraved in Time: Don't worry, **_**I'm**_** on the shipping-wagon too. And it's Sergio/Raven by the way. Not the other way around. Just saying.**

**Onwards with the chapter! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7: Sergio's Guilt**

It was past curfew when Randy knocked on Professor Cedar's cabin door. He hit his fist against the plaster quickly but softly, fearful of aggravating his employer. The only sounds were the rustling leaves in the wind and the cries of nearby Kricketot and Kricketune.

Finally, the door opened to reveal the tall headmaster standing in a white T-shirt and a pair of plain light blue pajama pants. He did not seem to be tired yet because his eyes did not hold the dullness that came from drowsiness, making Randy feel slightly better. Of course, he was still the bearer of bad news, which was a heavy weight that Aaron had placed on him when the youth informed the R.A. that Sergio and the others had not returned from their trip yet.

"Ah, Randy," Cedar started pleasantly with a hint of curiosity in his voice. It was rare for a resident assistant to visit his office. If students in the dorms caused trouble, the R.A. would just file a report. "What brings you to this side of campus?"

The stout brunette rubbed the back of his head, instantly regretting coming here.

"S-sir, I have alarming news." The dean cocked his head and knitted his brows in confusion. "It appears that some of the students have gotten themselves in deep trouble."

His confusion faded and he let out a heavy sigh, "Yes I know. The police told me about it when she brought them back to campus."

Now Randy was confused and it showed on his face. He had spent the previous ten minutes outside of the dean's residence preparing himself for yelling and crying – the latter would have come from the R.A. himself.

He blinked several times before asking, "So they're back safely now?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, this incident is going to result in more precautious rules around here. We can't let our students wander New Port City with criminals running about."

"New Port City? I was told that they were headed for Moonlight Island."

"The officer found them in the shipyard on Crescent Island. Who did you hear this from?"

"One of the students told me that the group went in a boat to Moonlight Island."

"Group? Officer Jenny only brought back two girls." Professor Cedar raised his voice with concern, "Randy, what are you talking about?"

"What are _you_ talking about?"

The ebony man was not in the mood to play games so he forced all of his authority into his voice, "Randy!"

_Aw, I knew he'd yell_, Randy whined to himself.

After the brunette explained what Aaron had told him, Cedar pressed his thumb and index finger against his temples in frustration. He felt like yelling – loud. Receiving news that two of his students were assaulted was incredibly bad but nothing could be worse than hearing that _and_ that five more could be lost at sea or on an island.

Randy anxiously waited to hear his superior's response, desperately hoping for it to be calm but that was unlikely. Cedar wiped his hand downward against his face and let out a groan. This was all he could do. Yelling wouldn't have helped and his mind was scattered. Right before Randy arrived at his door step, the headmaster had a newly purchased movie in his DVD player and a mug filled with scalding hot chocolate. He had a rather peaceful evening planned out but some things were a little more important than that. Professor Cedar grabbed a coat and his keys before closing the door behind him and passing Randy.

"W-where are you going sir?"

"To my office. I need to make some calls."

* * *

Soft hazel eyes slowly flittered open as feeling returned to Kari – bits of sand clung to her wet form. Her hair had been mangled by the uneven waves and left lying wildly on the grainy terrain that she lay on. Olive fingers dug into the sand while the rest of Kari's body lifted off of the ground. Getting onto her knees, she tossed her hair aside as the first step to regaining her vision. The next would be blinking rapidly to escape her daze.

She soon came to realize that she couldn't see anything because it was night time and the only visible object was the moon sitting high up in the sky. She could hear the ocean waves though, and feel the salt water surround her legs with each tide.

It took a moment to sink in but Kari finally came to the conclusion that she washed up on an island. She was grateful to Arceus that she was alive but it did not take long for the panic to settle in. There were so many questions running through her head and fear overcame her thoughts. Fear of being stranded. Fear of her friends being hurt or dead. Fear of Chimchar being–

Kari immediately looked around the area, struggling to see through the intense darkness. The moonlight coming from above was very dim, barely allowing her to see her own hands in front of her.

"Chimchar!" She called – desperation sewed into her voice as it traveled up her dry, burning throat. "Chimchar! If you're around follow my voice!" Her raspy voice began cracking with every syllable she released. "Chimchar!" She started walking in a crouch with her hands on the sand in case her Pokemon's body was lying around nearby. "Chimchar! Please answer me!"

Her hand came in contact with a wet piece of cloth. She grabbed the material to feel it better and explored the body that it belonged to, finding it to be a flannel shirt.

"Alex! Alex is that you?!"

She pushed his body, growing more anxious the longer that he did not respond. After a few seconds of this, she laid him on his back and pressed her ear against his chest and was relieved when her head rose and fell steadily. He was breathing but he was unconscious and Kari had no idea when he would wake up.

It had just dawned on the olive-skinned girl that she had not even seen his face yet. For all she knew this could have been someone else.

Kari tossed a Poke Ball into the air to illuminate the area for enough time to catch a glimpse of the man's face. Fortunately for her, it was the emerald-eyed boy, resting peacefully before her.

She turned her attention to the floating pair of bright red eyes next to her, knowing well that her Misdreavus existed within the darkness.

"Dree?"

"Sorry, I just needed a bit of light to make sure Alex was here."

"Dreavus!"

The ghost-type nodded but Kari couldn't see it. She could tell by Misdreavus' tone that she was giving her consent. A soft breeze passed by, making Kari shiver and reminding her of her current situation.

"This is bad," she said. "Misdreavus, you can see in the dark, right?"

"Dree! Dreavus!"

"I'll take that as a yes. Can you look around the beach to see if Chimchar or any of the others are here?"

"Misdreavus!"

After the Screech Pokemon drifted off along the shore, Kari had nothing to do but sit down next to Alex and endure the zephyrs tickling away at her skin. She just sat there watching the moon and listening to the waves until she felt the water brush up against her ankles so she decided to move Alex away from the oscillating liquid.

The wheels turning in Kari's head had slowed down but they still turned, fueling her mind with questions, worry, and anxiety. She couldn't help it. One of her friends was unconscious and only Arceus knew where the others settled. She could only pray that they all made it out of the shipwreck alive.

* * *

The search lights on the rescue ship surveyed the waters from left to right as the vessel swayed over the current. It had to move slowly to prevent overlooking any bodies floating in the water. How would they explain to Professor Cedar that a student died because the boat hit them?

Officer Jenny stood on the main deck, carefully examining the ocean with focused eyes. After two students were almost kidnapped earlier, she was not going to let five more gets eaten by Sharpedo. The cold ocean breeze carried droplets of water and slammed them into her face, but she kept looking at the waters below, not daring to allow a single wave go unseen by her eyes.

"Officer, we've got something!" one of the crewmembers yelled.

She followed his finger to a lone motor boat drifting casually. When the ship neared it, they found two occupants lying unconsciously inside.

Officer Jenny yelled at the workers, "Hurry up and salvage that boat! Make sure those two get up here safely!"

"Yes ma'am!"

* * *

Professor Cedar sat in his chair with a robe worn over his pajamas and one of his students right across from him.

The dark man asked, "So where are your classmates, Sergio?"

The silver-haired teen could only look down at the mahogany desk before him as he mumbled, "I don't know."

Pikachu sat on Sergio's lap with a matching expression. He was worried about his trainer and felt absolutely powerless where he was at the moment. Just like Sergio.

"Could you elaborate on that? Because you said that you were still in the water when Pikachu shocked the Gyarados."

"I was…but I woke up and managed to get inside the boat. I was too exhausted to do anything else." His voice was starting to break and gained a rougher tone. "I couldn't even look to see if my friends were okay…"

Cedar assured, "Do not blame yourself. You were still weak and dazed when you awoke so it's only understandable that your body went into survival mode and the most logical action was to get to safety. I'm sure you would've swam all over the ocean to bring your classmates back to the boat if you could have."

Sergio remained silent for a moment before responding, "…I-I was in charge of this trip and I just let everything go wrong. They should all be back in their rooms sleeping soundly right now."

"We're doing everything we possibly can to find them. Whether they're in the ocean or on an island, we'll find them and bring them back safely."

"What if…" He paused and swallowed the oversized lump of saliva in his throat. "What if they're in a Pokemon's stomach?"

"Then I'll cut it open and rip them out myself. Those may be your friends but they're also my students and I have even more responsibility over them than you do. The shame you feel right now is something we both share." Several seconds passed by in which neither headmaster nor student spoke a word until Professor Cedar finally said, "You should get some rest, Sergio. You've had a long day. I'll let you know the status of our search in the morning."

"I don't have my room key. It must've fallen out of my pocket while I was unconscious."

"We keep spares. Normally, the school would charge you for a new one but given the – ahem – circumstances, this one is a courtesy."

The headmaster left Sergio and Pikachu for a few moments before returning with a bronze piece of metal in his hand. He gave it to the silver-haired boy and offered to walk him to his dorm but the adolescent refused, wanting some time alone. Once the administration office was out of view, Sergio dialed Aaron's number on his Holo Caster, thanking Arceus for waterproof technology and his parents for paying a little extra for it.

His first call went to voice mail so he had to dial again and on the fourth ring, a dreary Aaron answered, "Hallo?"

"Hey, Aaron, it's me, Sergio."

"Gio?" Aaron escaped his daze and shouted, "Gio?! Where are you?! Is everyone alright?!"

"Hey! Any louder? I don't think Kalos heard you!" he yelled in a whisper.

"Gio!" he growled.

"We need to talk about that. Meet me in the woods behind Terra Dorm in ten."

Sergio heard the call cut so he knew that Aaron was somewhere between nettled and livid. He'd prepared himself to face Aaron's wrath long before he decided to call him. After collapsing his Holo Caster and putting it away, Sergio walked towards where he and Aaron agreed to meet and after calling his name in a hushed tone a few times, the two boys met.

"Aaron!"

"Sergio! You're okay!" The silver-haired boy felt thick arms wrap around him and his feet lift off the ground as Aaron pulled him into a bear hug that an Ursaring would be jealous of.

Sergio struggled to say, "Y-yeah, I'm okay."

After setting him down, Aaron asked, "I'm relieved. So where are de udders?" Sergio quickly recounted the Gyarados attack and how he shamefully rescued himself as soon as he came to, but Aaron was just as understanding of his need to survive as Professor Cedar was. Aaron was too worried about the rest of his friends to put blame on Sergio. "I know you aren't gonna' just let Cedar handal dis."

"I'd be disappointed in you if you thought otherwise."

Aaron sighed, "So what's de plan?"

"Well I'm sure that things are going to get tighter around here once the sun comes up but we don't have any hope of finding them without any light and none of our Pokemon can provide enough for us to search with. Plus there's the blaring fact that Slowbro can't swim that fast and we don't have any Pokemon faster than your Poliwrath. The search would take forever."

Aaron nodded along to Sergio's train of thought but stopped when something occurred to him.

"Wait, what happened to Cecilia?!"

"Uh, yeah…about that. I'm really sorry but she's got some nasty scrapes on her."

"What?!"

Sergio put his hand over his friend's mouth and whispered, "I'm sorry! You didn't include a 'What to do in case of a Gyarados attack' in your boating guide, you know!"

Aaron was close to strangling him but stopped himself and stated, "Not important raight now. Well what do we do den?"

"I hate to drag others into this but do you think Vera would be willing to let us use her Gyrados?"

"No. Not if she doesn't get to come along. We tokked about goin on a rescue mission earlier and she was kinda excited about it."

"She did realize that the people you guys were going to look for could've been dead, right?"

"I don't know. Dat girl is someting else."

"Tell me about it. I'll give her a call. Hopefully she picks up."

Several rings later, Sergio returned to Aaron and said, "She didn't pick up. She most likely can't hear her phone."

"Well I hate to just leave dem out der but we wouldn't cover much ground."

Sergio bit his lips, anxiety demanding him to fidget while logic advised him to remain calm. He didn't have many options and going out into the ocean to get rescued again wasn't the smartest of ideas.

"I know how you feel. Let's get some rest and at the first crack of dawn, we'll heading out."

"Okay, I'll see ju in a beet."

"Yeah. See ya."

* * *

Pikachu lay somberly on his trainer's bed with his ears drooping, eyes distant, and tail lying motionlessly on the messy sheets. Alex hadn't done his bed the previous morning – or any morning for that matter – so Pikachu wanted to leave everything the way the brunette had left it. The boy's scent was strong, hitting the yellow mouse's nostrils harder than a Head Charge from a Bouffalant. Alex was incredibly messy, often leaving clothes hanging about his bed but Pikachu never loved that about him more than at that moment that he took in his master's essence.

Sergio zipped up his hoodie halfway like he normally did and looked over at the depressed Pokemon earnestly. After clipping his holster onto his belt, he reached for his Holo Caster which illuminated the dark room. He found Aaron's number, dialed it, and waited patiently until his friend answered.

"Elo?"

"Hey, are you ready?"

"Ya! Les meet up behind mai dorm again."

"Okay, I'll see you down there."

After ending the call, Sergio walked to the bunk bed and peeked his head over the top mattress, sympathy apparent in his eyes.

He asked Pikachu, "Hey, are you ready to go?"

The little mouse sluggishly turned his head towards Sergio and nodded slowly before standing up and climbing down the latter to trail behind the boy. As they reached the door, a brief ring caught their attention and Sergio felt his pocket vibrate. He found a text from the administration office occupying his screen so he swiped to unlock the device and opened the message. Pikachu watched as Sergio's eyes widened and his form became tense from frustration. He watched him expectantly, waiting for the silver-haired boy to tell him what the message said.

Without looking away from the screen, Sergio read aloud, "Dear students, this is a message from the administration office. As some of you may know, a group of criminals known as the Arachnid Attackers have been kidnapping people and Pokemon on Crescent Island so until further notice, no student is allowed to leave Star Island. The ferry that usually takes students to Crescent Island will not be available and the only boats to come here will be those that bring supplies. Resident assistants will be going to every room to check if the students are there and no student is allowed to leave their room until they have been checked in. Additionally, all students with a registered water-type or flying-type Pokemon must hand in however many of those Pokemon they have in their possession to their resident assistant. Failure to comply with these instructions will result in the minimum penalty of academic probation to the maximum being immediate expulsion."

Sergio never once looked away from the screen or even moved from his spot so neither did Pikachu. He just stood there waiting for the boy to move or say something. The yellow mouse found it odd when he saw Sergio smiling which was soon followed by chuckling, making him cock his head from confusion.

Silver locks wavered slightly with each shake of the boy's head as he said, "Damn it. He was one step ahead of us." The Holo Caster started vibrating again and the screen indicated that Aaron was calling him. "Hey."

"Did you get da message?"

"Yeah, I already read it."

"Cedar knew we would want to look for dem."

"But what he doesn't know is that I don't care what the punishment is. I already failed them once and if there's a chance I could find them, then I won't hesitate to take it. Also, I don't want you to risk your neck if you don't have to so if you don't want to come, I completely understand."

"You really tink dat I would jast leave mai friends out der?" Sergio couldn't help but grin at his friend's response. A knock on the door in front of Sergio interrupted his inner celebration and he was forced to walk deeper into his room and whisper to Aaron, "Hey, I'll call you back right now."

"Okay, mon."

After hanging up, Sergio took a second to think about how he would answer the door. He was clearly dressed for adventure and if a resident assistant or some other faculty was behind that door, they would know about his plans. He tossed his hoodie onto his desk, slipped out of his shoes, and swapped his jeans for a pair of shorts to appear as if he was sleeping. Before he could tell Pikachu to jump onto Alex's bed, the yellow mouse was already climbing the ladder and slipping himself underneath the sheets.

Sergio waited for another set of knocks before lazily walking to the door and with slightly shut eyes answered it, "Hello?"

On the other side stood Randy with a clipboard in one hand and the remaining piece of a glazed donut in the other. He stuffed the last of his treat into his mouth and asked, "Shorry about waking you up, but I'm here foh your Shrowbro." Sergio faked confusion so Randy clarified, "The school just sent out a message saying that we'll be collecting all water and flying-type Pokemon."

Sergio crossed his arms and leaned on the doorway, "I'm a little hurt that Cedar doesn't trust me to stay put."

Randy had just finished swallowing his donut when he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Were you going to?"

"If I was going to leave, I wouldn't be here right now in my jammies. I can't do much more than the police can."

"True, but we can't take any chances, you know?"

"Whatever. Hold on. Let me get Slowbro's Poke Ball."

Sergio returned to the doorway with a Poke Ball in hand and offered it to the R.A. Randy ordered, "Open it."

Grunting, the adolescent summoned his hippopotamus Pokemon which glared at Randy with that dopy look of his, making the plump man uncomfortable.

"Alright, alright, put him away."

Sergio did as he was told and handed the ball over to Randy who then said, "Alright, get some rest."

"Will do."

Sergio shut the door behind him and texted Aaron telling him what just happened and the ebony teen shared a similar experience with his R.A. He soon found himself on a call with Aaron again.

"Damn it! Cedar knew we'd be rational about this and that we would wait until we had light to search for them!"

"Dey wanted to make sure dat we wouldn't be able to get to de island."

"And now we can't even ask Vera to use her Gyarados and come with us because she'll get in trouble for it. Shit!"

Aaron sighed, "I hate to admit it, but we might have to jast let dem handle this."

Sergio was quiet for a long time before he finally took a deep breath and said, "I-I guess you're right."

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"I know you're beating yourself up about dis, but it isn't your fault. Der was no way of knowing dat a Gyarados would be passing by. Der was nothing you could have done to prevent dis. If anyting it's my fault for letting you use my boat. If I had been stingy and overprotective wit mai stuff, you'd all be here."

Sergio recognized the slight joking in his friend's voice, making him feel slightly better, but he still bore a Steelix-sized weight on his shoulders.

"I guess there's nothing left to do right now but get some sleep."

"Ya, we'll tokk latar, okay?"

"Alright. Later."

Sergio haphazardly dropped his Holo Caster onto his mattress and flopped onto it. For the two hours, he stared up at the ceiling without his eyes drooping even for a second. There were too many things going through his mind for that to happen.

* * *

The Wingull caws from above resonated in Kari's head, causing her hazel eyes to open slowly. She could finally see her surroundings and the first things she saw were Alex's neck and chest area – up close and personal. She lay there on the sand, held securely in Alex's arms, feeling his chest press against her with every breathe he took. He was rancid with the smell of salt, but his natural musk blended with it, making it easier to handle and almost comforting.

Feeling her cheeks flare, Kari remembered her situation and slipped out of Alex's grasp while trying not to wake him up. She stumbled backwards and landed on her bottom, facing her friend. Her hazel eyes glimmered with relaxation as she watched Alex's tranquil expression.

_He didn't wake up at all? What a dope._

"Mis dreavus!"

Kari turned to find her ghost-type floating next to her and responded, "Good morning Misdreavus. I guess I fell asleep. Did you stay up all night watching over us?"

She nodded, "Drea! Drea!"

"I'm sorry. I um…did you find anyone?" Kari took a quick look around before Misdreavus could shake her head (or rather, her body). The olive-skinned girl sighed, "Okay, thank you for everything you've done. You definitely deserve a good rest." Kari recalled the Screech Pokemon into her Poke Ball and stood up from her spot on the sand.

After dusting herself off, Kari decided to scan the area. There was not anyone or anything on the beach other than herself and Alex but as her panorama shifted to the ocean, she noticed that there were islands visible in the distance but more importantly, there was a boat. Salvation! That was their opportunity to get off of the island and back to civilization! Without restraint, she yelled for help and ran as far as she could into the water to give her voice more power.

"Help! We need help!" Her arms moved back and forth of their own volition.

Alex groaned and his face scrunched up before revealing his emerald eyes to the world. He sat up, confused as to why he was on a beach and why his clothes were slightly wet. His ears nudged upon hearing someone yelling and he looked straight ahead at the beach to find Kari flailing her arms wildly above her head.

"Kari!" he called. She whipped around with wide eyes. "What are you doing and where are we?"

The bewilderment on her face changed to excitement as she yelled his name and waved over to him, "Come help me get this ship's attention!" He ran to her with questions left unanswered. When he reached her, he reiterated his question and she responded, "We both washed up on this island."

"Where are the others? Where's Pikachu?!" The heavy question dragged her arms down and her face along with them. The defeated look brought him concern. "What's wrong?" He lifted his head and looked around the area, calling, "Pikachu! Pikachu!"

She walked aimlessly and pushed her tangled locks behind her head as she sighed and said, "I have no idea, Alex. I woke up last night and had my Misdreavus look around for the others but she didn't find anyone." Her breathing accelerated, "I can't even find Chimchar. I don't know what happened to them and I'm really worried."

Alex stopped her mid-pace by placing his hands on her shoulders. As best as he could, he tried to comfort her.

"Kari, everything will be okay. We don't know where the others are but we're okay. We're not hurt and that means we can go and look for them together." He took her by the hand and pulled her towards the sand. "Come on, the sooner we get started, the sooner we can find them!"

His optimism was very much welcome, but Kari resisted his pull and asked, "What about the boat? We need to get their attention so we can get some help." Alex stopped to hear her out. "We can come back to look for them with more help because I'm sure the academy must be searching for us right now."

Alex nodded and said, "Well if you think that's the best thing for us to do, then we should do it. Wait!" He pushed past her and ran further into the water, waving and yelling at the fleeing boat. "No! Come back! Don't leave! Kari, what are we going to do?! What are we going to do?!"

"Alex, you have a Charizard."

"Oh yeah! Good thinking, Kari! Alright, let's go!" He grabbed her by the arm again but met more resistance. "What are you doing?"

"I, um…I think you should go alone and have the boat come for me."

"Why? It'll be quicker if we both ride on Charizard."

"No, no, we'll just slow him down and I don't want to risk him getting tired while we're above water, y-you know?"

Alex looked at her quizzically, "Kari, why are acting so weird?"

"W-weird? What do you mean? I-I'm not acting weird."

Alex continued gazing at her until he finally just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Okay, I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

She raised an eyebrow and responded, "Really, Alex?"

He chuckled, "Oh…right. Well don't touch something that you don't recognize, 'kay?"

"Alex, I'm fourteen, not four."

"Hey, I'm just concerned for my buddy." He lightly punched her arm and she gave him a vexed look in return.

"Alex?"

"Yes?"

"The boat."

"Oh, right!" Deciding not to waste any more time, Alex called forth Charizard, jumped on his back, and sped off after the boat.

* * *

Looker stood inside the command deck of the ship with the captain and several crewmen nearby. A map of the Milky Ocean was laid on a table so they could decide where to look next.

The captain anxiously looked at…Looker, whose knitted eyebrows and frown gave him a goofily serious expression. The worry lines on his forehead did not help either. Looker's gaze was unbreakable and his thoughts unreachable until a flying lizard with an adolescent teen on its back passed by yelling wildly to get the ship's occupants' attention. Looker bolted out of the room and looked up at Alex and Charizard who hovered expectantly from above.

"Hey, are you the captain?"

Looker shook his head. "No, that would be that man over there." He pointed at the real captain of the ship but continued, "We are looking for a group of students. Are you one of them?"

"Well I'm pretty sure unless some other students got themselves into trouble." Alex chuckled a bit, "Wouldn't that be crazy?"

_You don't know the half of it_, Looker thought to himself. "Are any of the other students with you?"

"One is. She's back on that island over there." Looker briefly followed Alex's finger but then returned his attention to the dragon-rider. "I don't know where the others are."

"One of your party members, the boy with silver hair, is safe at the academy."

Alex's eyes widened and his chest felt tight as he failed to find the words to describe his relief. All he could do was croak, "W-were there any Pokemon w-with him?" He could not express his gratitude towards Arceus for allowing Sergio to make it safely back to the island. There was still the question of where Mark, Rafi, Pikachu, and Chimchar were but soon he'd know if two of them were safe and hopefully they were.

His voice was weak but Looker heard him and responded, "Yes, a yellow mouse was found with him inside the boat that you all used to leave the island."

Alex let out a deep exhale, "Oh, that's a load off – wait! Did you say inside the boat?" _We were all out of the boat when Pikachu zapped Gyarados. Why would he be inside the boat?_

"Yes, it appears that the mouse landed inside the boat and that the boy awoke sometime after you were all left unconscious and entered the boat, yes! That is what he did with the little strength he had!"

_W-was he just going to leave us? No, of course not. We must've already been far by the time he woke up. I know he wouldn't just leave us…_

Looker noticed the bewildered expression on his face and asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Y-yeah. Um, my friend…can we go rescue her?"

"Yes. Come onboard. After your friend is where we'll go! Captain! Set course!"

He sluggishly responded, "Yes sir."

* * *

Anxious. That was the word that Aaron and the others would have used to describe Sergio at the moment. His usually focused onyx eyes were distant and occupied, he kept biting the inside of his lower lip and tapping his foot against the cafeteria floor, and he constantly passed a hand through his silver locks, making it messier and messier every time. He just kept gazing at the entrance hoping for his missing friends to walk right through it and that having a stare-off with the double doors would somehow make his desire come true.

A baby carrot occupied his field of vision, making him back his head away to look directly at it. The carrot was being held by a sun kissed hand that he followed to find a head of blonde hair and calm silver eyes staring right back at him. A sweet smile appeared on Cherilyn's face. That was honestly all she could do for herself and her friends. It was difficult, but she knew that it was necessary to keep them all from bursting through those doors and running straight into the ocean to find the missing students.

"Opening ze fridge multiple times will not make food magically appear."

Sergio looked at her confusedly so Stacy clarified, "Staring at that door is not going to increase the chances of them walking through it." She ever so elegantly pierced a cherry tomato with her fork and popped it into her mouth. She then lifted her napkin and patted her face to cleanse it of any residue.

The silver-haired boy was already accustomed to her proper etiquette so he didn't even pay any mind to it as he responded, "I know but can you blame me for worrying?"

"Of course not," responded Aaron, "We're all worried baht der's nutting we can do about it raight now. Dey took any transportation we could have used to look for dem."

Sergio knew that but that didn't stop him from blaming himself for what had happened. Even his gurgling stomach could not distract his mind long enough to relieve it of any angst. He returned to staring at the door so his friends decided it would be best to just leave him to his devices. They could only try to convince him to ease his mind. He wouldn't actually do it.

Some five minutes later, the door opened, prompting his heartbeat to accelerate regardless of him knowing the probability to all four of his friends walking through that door unscathed was incredibly low. When he saw who walked in, his heart nearly popped out of his chest from pumping so quickly.

His eyes drooped when he saw that it was just a random group of students going to get lunch. It was impossible for him not to get his hopes up.

The silver-haired boy stood up from his seat, prompting Stacy to ask, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going back to my room. Pikachu's probably hungry."

A sympathetic expression fell upon Cherilyn's face.

"He still won't leave Alex's bed?"

Sergio shook his head, "No, after they took our Pokemon, any hope that he had just…died. I tried picking him up but he shocked me."

"Can I go see him?" the blonde asked.

"Sure."

Cherilyn was taken aback. Sure, Sergio was not a womanizer or a major flirt but he would've made some snarky comment about her wanting to go to his room.

She did not let this show by putting on the best smile that she could and asking, "Would two you like to come along?"

Stacy shook her head, "Vera is on her way so I will wait for her here."

"And I'm not done eating so I'll see you guys latar."

Sergio had already grabbed some fruit and was almost to the door so after saying her goodbyes, Cherilyn pursued the silver-haired boy so that she wouldn't be left behind. The walk back to the dorms was strangely quiet with the blonde trying multiple times to bring up a subject that the two could talk about. Sergio would give her short responses and the conversations would instantly turn into dead ends.

When they finally reached Sergio's room, the researcher dug his tanned hand into his pocket and grabbed the keys inside. As he pulled them out, his hand shook uncontrollably which only raised Cherilyn's concern for him. She watched as he searched for the key with one hand until he finally held it between his thumb and index finger. His stand was still shaky as he tried inserting it into the door handle, missing a couple times before suddenly dropping the keys and slamming his fist against the door.

"S-Sergio…" He pressed his head against the door and his body began trembling. "Sergio, what's wrong?"

His voice was shaky and barely audible, "I-I can't go inside."

"Why not?"

"How can I face that hurting Pokemon when I'm the reason his trainer is nowhere to be found."

"Sergio…" she raised her hand but hesitated in touching him. She couldn't decide whether trying to comfort him would help or worsen the situation. Sergio was clearly feeling guilt and he was harboring it all despite understanding that there was no way of him knowing that his departure to Moonlight Island would result in this.

"Sergio! Cherilyn!"

Sergio's onyx eyes snapped open and he slowly turned to the approaching brunette sporting that signature goofy grin of his. The silver-head's body trembled and he struggled to speak while the blonde had no control of hers as she blurted out "Alex" and ran towards him. The brunette was not expecting the tiny blonde to literally jump into his arms and hold him tightly. After the shock subsided, Alex found himself standing with Cherilyn's face buried into his chest and her arms wrapped around his torso. His arms slowly lifted and eventually wound themselves around her petite frame.

"I'm so glad you're okay…" she muttered into his shirt.

His head cocked backwards and he asked, "C-Cherilyn…you were worried about me?"

Cherilyn pulled herself away from him, placed her hands on her hips, and yelled, "Of course I was! You could've been dead! How could I just go on about my day knowing my friends were in danger?!"

He scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Still…" his cheery mood was broken. "Some of our friends are lost."

"Well Kari's back in her room right now and Sergio…" he looked up at his roommate with an unreadable expression.

Sergio looked back at him but found it difficult to maintain eye contact.

Suddenly, Alex smiled and approached the violet boy, "It looks like you're okay too, buddy!"

"A-Alex…" He clenched his fists and hugged the younger boy who returned the gesture. As they parted, Sergio said, "I'm relieved to see you and to hear that Kari's okay."

"Me too. Now it's only a matter of time before they find Mark and Rafi!"

Sergio smiled solemnly. His friend's optimism was welcomed and, to a degree, needed because it was something difficult to have at the moment and somehow here he was with the upmost confidence that everything would turn out okay for everyone and that they would get a happy ending.

"So where's Pikachu?"

Sergio pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind and responded, "In our room. He's been worried about you."

Alex grinned, "I've been worried about him too."

After picking up his keys, Sergio was once again faced with the dark green door. Knowing that Alex was okay gave him the strength to insert the key and unlock the previously unconquerable obstacle. He pushed the door open to find Pikachu right behind. He must've been curious as to what slammed against the door before.

The yellow mouse stood on all fours with his tail firmly held high. This was Pikachu's signature battle position but upon seeing his trainer, he dropped his guard.

"Pikachu!" Alex opened his arms for the little mouse to jump into them and embraced his Pokemon.

Sergio and Cherilyn couldn't help but smile at such a beautiful sight as a trainer and his Pokemon reuniting.

"Hey guys, I'm starved! Are they still serving lunch?"

The others laughed and Sergio responded, "Yeah, you can still get food. Pikachu, I brought you some food." He held up the fruit in his hand for Alex to take.

"Thanks Sergio! Let's go much on this downstairs. Okay, buddy?"

"Pika!" he cheered enthusiastically.

* * *

Raven walked into the lobby of the Aqua Dorm – her mind preoccupied. She had tried to forget about the events of the previous day but everywhere she went on campus, students were talking about the new rules on campus and how no one was allowed to leave. They would all throw out their speculations, some of which were pretty close, but Raven would smile at the irony that she knew the reason for the lockdown. Or at least she thought she knew.

As she approached the elevator, she noticed Kari waiting patiently in front of it. Raven found it odd that her hair was tangled and her clothes looked damp.

Paying no mind to it, she said, "Hey Kari."

The girl turned to her with tired eyes, further befuddling Raven.

"You look like shit." The bluenette stated bluntly. "What happened?"

Kari shook her head, "It's a long story." Raven could tell by her tone.

She took a moment to examine the olive-skinned girl, remembering that she and the others were supposed to go to go on an excursion the day before.

"Wait did you guys barely get back from Moon-whatever Island?"

Kari was taken aback by how quickly Raven caught on. She looked around the lobby, taking note that there were students around.

"Like I said, it's a long story. But…do you want to hear it?"

With a shrug, she responded, "I'm not doing anything else right now."

"But not here."

Raven confusedly replied, "…Okay?"

The elevator doors slid open and students shuffled out of it with Kirsty among them. The black-haired girl immediately noticed Kari and the condition she was in and without subtlety, criticized, "Oh look who decided to show up. Why weren't you in the room last night? Out with those boys? I wonder why," she said sarcastically implying that Kari would do perverted things with them. "Not that it matters because I finally got some peace and quiet!" The Sentret on her shoulder merely nodded her agreement.

All Kari said was, "Kirsty. Shut up."

"I don't have to shut up if I don't want to." The short girl's mouth fired off rounds of words and sentences so after sharing a look, Kari and Raven turned to grab Kirsty and push her back into the elevator. "Unhand me you peasants! Don't make me call the cops!" Sentret protested along with her trainer but did not do anything to stop the other girls.

"Nothing to see here folks," Raven said before the elevator doors shut closed, leaving the other students confused.

Kari took Kirsty and Raven back to her room and explained what had happened the day before. After hearing the story, Raven understood that the lockdown was more in response to the shipwreck incident than her situation.

While filing her nails, Kirsty scornfully said, "Why couldn't that Gyarados just eat you?"

"Hey Kirsty," Raven started.

"What?!" she snapped.

"Do you think you could not be a bitch for thirty seconds or is your mouth not programmed to stay shut for that long?"

"Hey, I'm pretty sure she was going on and on with her boring story for more than thirty seconds and did I interrupt her?"

"Yes," they both said.

"Multiple times," Kari added.

Kirsty simply crossed her arms and huffed.

Ignoring her, Raven asked, "So no one knows where Mark and Rafi are?"

"No. Thankfully, Alex and I wound up on the same island and Sergio and Pikachu were found in the boat we left this island with."

"How did he get on the boat?" Raven asked.

"I'm not sure. I could've sworn that he was in the water with the rest of us."

"He probably just did the smart thing and saved himself," Kirsty said.

Sentret nodded, "Tret, tret."

Kari adamantly denied, "Sergio wouldn't do that."

"I know he's your friend, Kari," Raven started, "But if he was in the water when you all passed out, what was he doing in the boat? He couldn't have been that far from it when he woke up which meant none of you could've drifted that far away. He could've at least tried to get someone onto the boat."

The seeds of doubt were being planted inside Kari's head but even though logic was telling her that Sergio tried to leave them, her faith would not let her believe it.

The room was silent for a few moments until Kirsty placed her filer on her night stand, hopped off of her bed, and said, "Well I need to eat _now_, so bye."

As she passed by Kari, the brunette grabbed her thin wrist and sternly said, "Don't tell anyone about this."

"Uh, what did I say about touching me?"

"Kirsty."

Kari's steely gaze got the message across to the short girl.

"Ugh," she threw her head back, "fiiiiiine. Just let go of me." She ripped her arm out of Kari's grasp and asked herself, "Where did I leave my hand sanitizer?"

"Go to the mess hall," Raven said.

"Uh, why would it be there?"

"No. Go eat, wait a few hours when you have to go to the restroom, turn around when you're done, and it'll be right there."

Kirsty looked at her with disgust and said, "You know, you two animals _would_ be friends. Speaking of which, where's that little monkey that's always with you?"

Kari's gaze fell and her form became rigid as she shakily said, "Just go eat."

Violet eyes widened slightly from understanding but she quickly regained her egocentric attitude and strutted out of the room.

Raven gave Kari a bit of time before asking, "So what happens now?"

"We wait and hope Chimchar, Mark, and Rafi are okay."

The bluenette just nodded apprehensively.

* * *

He was in complete darkness – the void where nothing existed. He felt cold and it was difficult for him to breathe. Why was it so hard to breathe? It was almost as if he was lacking oxygen. He never had asthma so then why did it hurt to inhale?

Voices. There were muffled voices nearby but he could not hear what they were saying. He could not even identify if they were speaking his language. At this point, any sound was foreign.

Suddenly, the void was not so dark and he could feel. He could feel the air rushing into his nostrils when he breathed and the softness of a mattress underneath him. His clothes felt heavy and slightly cold as if they had been wet some time ago.

Then he felt himself regain control of his body. A small slit of light broke through the darkness as his crimson irises were exposed to the outside world. He was blinded by the brightness until his eyes brought the sight into focus. He was looking directly upward at a rectangular light source surrounded by gray tiles.

"Guys, I think he's waking up," said a feminine voice. To his relief, they spoke his tongue. Soon, a figure appeared above him, outlined by the ceiling lights. "Are you okay?"

He could make out some of her features. Her dark hair, bronze tan, and…red eyes.

All he could mutter was, "S-Sarah?"

**Yup! Cliffhanger! So some of you guys who read Pokemon Academy probably just had a heart attack when you read that last word. Rest assured, all will be answered in the next chapter. So what did you guys think about the aftermath of the shipwreck and its repercussions? What about the interactions between different characters that I showcased in this chapter?**

**QOTD: Another author on here, DJTiki, and I communicate with each other frequently and we've found that we both watch the UCL on YouTube so I'd like to know, who else watches it? For those of you who don't know, the UCL is a Pokemon League created by a bunch of YouTubers who happen to be friends with each other and they basically make their draft picks at the beginning of a season like in professional sports and battle it out for several weeks to get into the playoffs and at the end, one team will be the winner. There are other, more competitive, leagues but this one is mostly for fun because the battles are between friends (fans can take it a little too far though).**

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review about what you liked or didn't like or what I can work on or you can also leave a question or answer the QOTD. Until next time! Legacy, out!**


	9. Safe

**What's up guys?! I'm back with a new chapter of Star Academy! But before we get into it, I'd like to apologize to those of you that are still here for waiting so long for this chapter. Last quarter of college was beyond hectic (I barely passed) and I had major writers block so I got absolutely no work done during Winter Break. All the while, though, I was thinking of how to go about this chapter and after adding to it little by little and coming up with ideas during my spare time, I finally got to sit down today and just finish it so I feel comfortable leaving this story for a couple more months while I handle school stuff. That being said, I pretty much just wrote the second half of this chapter without proofreading like I normally do so I apologize in advance for any and all mistakes anywhere in this chapter. Please bear with them as I needed to get this chapter out before I get super busy.**

**Legolas Dragon Ranger: I know right. I'm glad I remembered to have Alex return Charizard or that would've been a mess.**

**Heart of the Anime: I think I'll leave that decision up to the readers ;) Mwuahahahahaha**

**Guest: This is just the beginning so I hope you enjoy the plot I have in mind.**

**ABC'S: It would be helpful if you give constructive criticism instead of just point out what's wrong with the story. In what aspects do the characters need improving? Explain what's wrong with the relationships as of right now. I'm not getting defensive, I'm just helping you help me.**

**Zlaxe: Wow that pun, haha. Yeah, I think it's better that you didn't read the original story in the case because only like 5 or 6 characters return in this reboot.**

**Now for all of the guests that were just trolling (or maybe it was all the same person) that's not welcome here which is why your reviews are no longer visible. If you read this story and like it, leave constructive criticism. If you don't, then just leave. You're happy, I'm happy. It's all good. This is the only time I'm saying this so read these words and read them good.**

**Now onto the story!**

**Chapter 8: Safe**

"S-Sarah?" he mumbled weakly.

"Sarah?" the girl questioned. This wasn't Sarah. Her voice was different from what he remembered. Much different. It was not as sweet and comforting. It held warmth but from the energetic spunk that resonated in it. "You must've hit your head hard." Suddenly, her appearance morphed. Her long black hair lightened to a chestnut brown and her caramel skin began to pale. Freckles dotted along the bridge of her nose underneath her burning amber eyes.

Mark rubbed his eyes to eliminate the inertia that created images in his mind. When he took a look at her again, he found that this girl indeed was not who he initially thought. He knew that it couldn't have been her anyway. The shape of this girl's face was somewhat similar to the face in his memories, though. He was slightly saddened by the false alarm but the situation soon settled in his mind and recollections flooded through it like the waves that had last engulfed him.

"W-who are you? Where am I? How did I get here?"

Mark looked around the room, noticing that there were multiple beds within the gray walls that formed a perimeter around them as well as one other person besides the strange girl next to him. He was a tall young man with a dark blue worker's uniform and a dull ivy cap concealing his hair. This man's sleeves were rolled up to his elbows to reveal two incredibly hairy and rigged arms. He stared at the adolescent with steely raven eyes.

The girl called Mark's attention back by saying, "Whoa there. Let's answer one question at a time. My name's Anya and mister tall, dark, and brooding back there is Trey. Umm, you're on a cargo ship and we found you drifting alone in the ocean." She gave him a moment to process the information.

Trey stood up from the chair he sat in and said, "It's our turn to ask the questions. Who are _you_?"

Anya whipped her head around, "_Trey_! He's probably still shaken up about this."

Ignoring her, the man approached Mark and glared at the startled teen to force an answer out of him. Crimson eyes dropped to look at the heavily tanned hands beneath them. Mark did not dare look into this man's eyes but he knew it was best to answer.

"M-my name is Mark."

Seeing as how the topic had changed, Anya sat on the bed by Mark's feet and asked, "Where are you from, Mark?"

"Well I live in Sinnoh…"

"Bullshit."

Anya gave Trey another look but he did not move his eyes away from the boy.

"I-I _am_ from Sinnoh, but I'm…I'm a student at S-Star Academy." He answered very cautiously as to not upset Trey any further.

Anya nodded understandingly, "Ok, that makes sense. Yeah, I think there's a school not too far from where we picked you up."

"But why were you out in the ocean?"

"Well you see…" Mark paused for a moment to organize his thoughts and assemble a concrete explanation.

Trey rubbed his hardened hands against his stubble-infested chin, deep in thought after hearing Mark's story. The crimson-eyed boy did not dare to say or do anything until he spoke up and in that time, he felt something press against his chest. It was an invisible weight that made it difficult for him to breathe. Metaphysical fingers even began wrapping themselves around his neck, preventing even the smallest bit of air from passing through the fleshy tunnel.

Finally, black eyes lifted to meet crimson spheres and the owner commented, "Well I'm not sure about your friends but you're lucky we found you when we did. If the lookouts didn't find you with the search lights, this boat could've killed you."

The room felt stiff. The brief moment of release that Mark had when Trey began to speak fleeted and breathing once again became a struggle except this time, he felt his whole body being compressed from every side. The thought that he could be deep down in some unknown chasm far below the rolling waves could have frozen anyone. Trey decided it best just to leave the boy with his thoughts and walked towards the door.

As he reached the threshold, he said, "We'll see what we can do about getting you back to your school." With that, he exited the room and the door shut behind him.

Mark and Anya sat in complete silence until the amber-eyed girl patted his leg and said, "You're probably starving. Come on, let's go to the cafeteria!"

* * *

Alex walked down the path to the cafeteria with Pikachu clinging securely to the cloth of his shirt and Sergio and Cherilyn on either side of him. There were other students walking about campus – more than usual because of the lockdown – however, most seemed to be going about their day as though everything was completely normal. To some degree, Alex felt the same. Sure, he had almost died but all he could think about was filling his empty stomach with the academy's world-renowned food.

"So what's the cafeteria serving today?" the emerald-eyed boy asked.

"I believe zey set a sandwich bar today," the tiny blonde at his side responded sweetly.

"All you can eat?"

Sergio confirmed, "All you can eat."

Without preparing them, Alex sprinted across the lawn directly in the direction of the dining hall as opposed to following the cement path that led to it. He kicked up dirt and loose blades of grass, tarnishing the gardeners' hard work. The remaining two teens looked at each other, smiles plastered across their face, before pursuing their friend.

Pikachu clung with all his might to the flannel shirt as his trainer zipped across campus with the grin that belonged to a kid inside a candy store. Suddenly, the yellow mouse lost his grip on the red cloth, even with his sharp claws, and was flung forward by Alex's abrupt stop. What's more, Pikachu volleyed off of another figure before landing on the ground. His feral instincts kicked in, allowing his body to do what it needed to survive. A flip later, and the mouse landed on all fours with his back stiff from the adrenaline rush.

Alex on the other hand, was sitting on the ground at the base of the mysterious figure who looked rather upset as he turned around and complained, "Hey, watch it you little sh–Oh! It's you!"

Emerald eyes scrunched before directing themselves to the olive-toned boy, who held a hand forward. It took a second before the steel-eyed boy's name slipped its way into Alex's head.

"Hey, Jarrel!" Alex said as he accepted the offer and was helped to his feet.

"Your Kari's friend, right?"

"Yup!"

"Sorry about that." _No I'm not, but I better hear an apology from you, brat._

"No worries, I'd probably be mad if someone bumped into me too." He grinned goofily and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about that, by the way."

Jarrel forced a chuckle and responded, "No, no, it's fine." His silver eyes caught Pikachu running past him and up Alex's body. "Oh, this little guy must've been knocked down too. How you feeling?" He rubbed Pikachu's head but the electric-type could feel something off about his petting. The third-year's fingers were rather stiff, rough, and most notably tense but he was being nice so Pikachu decided to not protest. He didn't smile either, much to Jarrel's discontent.

"Alex!"

The three turned to find Sergio and Cherilyn running towards them, the ladder of which lagged behind because of her boots.

When Sergio saw who his friends were with, he noted, "Hey, you're…um, Jarrel, right?"

"Yeah, that'd be me!" he laughed. "And you're in my P.E. class." Jarrel's eyes drifted to Sergio's right to find the petite blonde standing patiently with her tiny smile on her face. "You, however, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting."

Cherilyn politely put her hand forward and introduced herself, all while holding her gentle smile. Jarrel's smile, on the other hand, transitioned from the barely-noticeable forced smile into a more relaxed and comfortable one. It held a small hint of mischief to match the twinkle in his eyes as he looked the little blonde over.

"It's nice to meet you, Cherilyn. I'm Jarrel. Is that an accent I detect?"

"Oui! I am from Kalos."

For some reason that Alex could not explain, his jaw started to tighten on its own and he felt his form stiffen. He stood in silence while his green orbs travelled back and forth to follow their conversation.

"Ah, I thought so. That's really cool, though. My dad's gone there for business and I've tagged along a couple times so I've seen a bit of the region."

"Really?" Sergio asked. "What places have you visited?"

"Oh just here and there. I spent most of my time in Lumiose but I visited Geosenge Town to see the stone pillars there."

"Did you hear ze story behind them?" Cherilyn asked.

His expression softened, "Yeah, it's tragic about all those Pokemon. Still, I find it hard to believe that one guy made some huge machine all for a Floette."

Sergio's face scrunched from mere impulse. It was a strange thing to say. Why would it so unbelievable that someone would go so far for a Pokemon that they cared about?

He couldn't fight the urge to ask, "Why's that?"

Instantly noticing his mistake, he laughed off, "Well it's just that the idea of him trying to bring a Pokemon back to life is a little far-fetched to me, you know?"

"Yes," Cherilyn chimed in, "But it iz just a story, no?"

Alex felt so left out but was forced to just stand there in silence. Luckily for him, his stomach said what his mouth could not in the form of a loud, elongated growl, which made his friends laugh.

"Oh yeah, we were on our way to the cafeteria," Sergio explained.

"I haven't eaten all day," Alex said sheepishly.

Jarrel laughed loudly and patted the brunette on his back.

"Don't worry about it. You guys should get going then! Oh! Before you leave, have you guys seen Kari?"

Alex answered, "She said she was going to her room when we got back fro–"

"From watching battles," the silver-haired boy interrupted.

Jarrel could easily tell that Sergio just stopped Alex from revealing something he shouldn't have but decided not to bring it up. Instead, he merely played along and nodded.

"Oh okay, I was just wondering because she hasn't answered my text. Does she have her Poketch off or something?"

Cherilyn nodded, "Oui, she told us that she lost her charger so it died on her."

"Well that makes sense. She's a bit out of luck though, with the lockdown and everything. Pretty weird, huh?"

"Yeah," Sergio said, "I wonder what that's about."

"Not sure, but did you guys hear about the guy that refused to hand over his Dragalge and just took off?"

"What?!" they shouted.

"Yeah, it was some second-year. Alex, do you know that guy with the purple hair from Mr. Q's class?"

"The scary guy that doesn't talk to anybody?"

"That's him. Felix, I think his name is. He's a weirdo if you ask me."

Sergio pondered for a moment before saying, "Wait, I think I know who you're talking about. Wasn't he the top first-year trainer last year?"

"Something like that. The interesting thing is that he only trains Poison-type Pokemon."

Cherilyn was astounded, "Wow, zat iz impressive! So did he really leave?"

"That's what the word on the street is."

"We have streets?" Alex asked.

_Is this kid serious?_

Despite thinking little of his intellect, Jarrel laughed along with Sergio and Cherilyn.

"That's crazy," Sergio said. "Well we should get going before Alex's stomach starts digesting itself."

"Alright, I'll see you guys around."

Once they were out of ear-shot, Sergio smacked Alex across the head.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

The second-year spoke just above a whisper but his facial expression and body language simulated yelling, "You almost told him about the ship wreck!"

"And?"

"What are you going around telling people about that for?!"

"I didn't know that I wasn't allowed to."

Cherilyn reasoned, "Sergio's right, Alex. Perhaps it iz best to keep awareness as scarce as possible for ze time-being."

"If students find out what happened, there'll be a huge commotion and the media and parents will be all over the place. The school wouldn't be able to search for Mark and Rafi."

"Don't forget Chimchar," Alex added.

Sergio's eyes widened and his mouth slowly parted until he was left standing with a bewildered look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Cherilyn aked.

"Ch-Chimchar's not with Kari?!"

"N-no, why?"

"Kari told me that Chimchar can't handle being separated from her for long periods of time! He gets anxious and has mental breakdowns! Even when he's just waiting with me for Kari to finish getting dressed for P.E., he'll get antsy if she takes longer than five minutes."

"What?! Kari never mentioned anything about that! She seemed fine when we were together."

"Oh man, she's suppressing everything. On top of almost dying, her childhood best friend is lost, and her closest companion could be losing his mind right now. You said she went to her room, right?"

"Y-ye–"

Before Alex could finish that word, Sergio hastily walked towards the dorms. He turned back quickly to say, "I'll meet you guys in the cafeteria!" and continued without granting them enough time to respond.

Not knowing what to make of this, Alex and Cherilyn shared a confused look, unsure of whether to follow or not.

"What was that all about?" the brunette asked.

"He must be worried for her. I'm not sure what he could possibly do for her now but he must know of something."

"Should we go after him?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine. If he happens to need us, he will call us."

"Right…"

For the first time, Alex felt that the air had changed. The sun illuminated the cloudless sky from its place high in the sky and the breeze was gentle. The students passed along leisurely as though the school were not on lockdown and the campus Pachirisu scurried around in peace. Everything seemed normal but he knew that it was not. This change did not come from the situation that he and his friends were in but rather, from a presence. Yes, there was someone or something there and he could sense it. He could feel eyes burrowing deep into the back of his skull, pushing his chocolate tresses aside and piercing his scalp. He snapped his head around to take a look around but there was no one there, only more students, more buildings, and more trees.

The blonde at his side tugged on his shirt, causing him to look down at her gentle face as she stared back at him with worrying silver eyes.

"Iz everything okay?"

To provide her with comfort, he shot her a soft smile and said, "Yeah, thought I saw something."

"What did you see?"

"Nothing, it was just my imagination. Come on, I'm starving! Let's get going already!"

Without warning, he grabbed her by the hand and tugged her along as he started to run.

She staggered at first and laughed, "Alex, hold on!" Once she regained her balance, she eagerly followed him hand in hand.

* * *

Mark sat surrounded by workers – loud, rowdy men covered in sweat and hair – as they savagely tore through what they called "food" with their course teeth. The teenager could only assume that what they were eating was some form of meat from the way they bit and ripped it. Chunks of this substance would occasionally fly right by his face, sometimes landing on it, because these men did not know how to close eat with their mouths closed.

The boy would not flinch or even look at any of the workers around him. His crimson eyes were glued to the tray in front of him, blankly staring at its contents. A creamy hand gently touched Mark's shoulder, prompting him to look at its owner.

Anya wore a playful smile as she teased, "What? Do they not serve this at your private school?"

Realizing that by refraining from eating, he could have offended her and possibly other crewmembers, Mark quickly shook his hands and head defensively, "N-n-no! I-it's just that…" His eyes fell back onto the silver tray. "It doesn't feel right taking food away from the people that work here."

"Huh?"

"If I eat this, then there's less for you and your crewmates."

Anya burst out into laughter, making him feel stupid for his concern and selflessness. That is before she shook her head and said, "You can eat it. There's more than enough for everyone. There has to be." She slung her arm around the boy and pulled him closer to her. Mark couldn't look her in the eyes from sheer embarrassment. It was strange for him to be so close to a girl and he could only pray that his face was not too red. Anya did not seem to notice, however. "I mean, have you seen how the guys around here eat?"

"I take offense to that, Skips!"

Mark turned his head to find a husky man wearing overalls and a battered red baseball cap covering his messy orange hair. His meaty fingers held onto Anya's shoulder, smudging her shirt with grease, but she did not retreat or even display discomfort in the slightest. His presence seemed to be very welcomed and Mark could understand by his overall energy. His grin was warm and relaxed and his eyes revealed a kindred spirit.

"Well I take offense to you taking offense to that!" she countered.

"Yeah, yeah. Who's the kid?" he asked as he placed his oily elbow on the boy's head.

"Guy, this is Mark. And he's a student at Star Academy so I'm sure he didn't travel all the way out there to have a lard face use him as an arm rest."

He roared with laughter at the offensive name, "Marky here's fine, right m'boy?" The adolescent forced a smile through his shyness, not wanting to hurt Guy's feelings. "See? So what're you doing here, lad?"

Anya explained, "Long story short, he and his friends' fishing boat got trashed."

"Oh! So there are more kids onboard?"

She shook her head, "No, we only found him."

He knitted his eyebrows, "What happened to the others?"

Anya's eyes widened and she cleared her throat while aiming her eyes at Mark to tell Guy that it was a sensitive topic.

"Huh?" The husky redhead removed his elbow and looked down at the survivor to find that the boy's expression was very somber. With guilt driving through his cholesterol-filled heart, Guy put an arm around the boy and said, "Well since you're here, how about we show you around the ship, eh?"

"S-sure…"

Mark felt Guy's plump fingers harness to his shoulder and guide him away from the table. "Let's get on with it then!"

Crimson eyes rushed to Anya for comfort and his worries were settled when he saw her rise from her seat and follow along.

* * *

The dining hall was completely quiet except for the noises coming from Alex as he shoveled rice, beans, chicken, peas, carrots, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, pizza, spaghetti, and everything and anything else that the chefs dared to present him with. The ivory-clad workers risked their hands every time they placed a plate, tray, or bowl in front of him.

Even Pikachu was too preoccupied with watching his trainer eat to tend to the Pokechow that sat on a bowl in front of him.

"You sure were hungry," Stacy commented with a smile on her face.

Aaron patted Alex on the back with his large hands but the boy never wavered from his crusade to clean the cafeteria.

"It's jast good to have 'im back."

The incredibly tall girl nodded and agreed, "Indeed!"

Their momentary bliss was interrupted when Vera snapped at a couple first years sitting at their table.

"Hey, scram twerps!" she shouted, while wearing the meanest face she could muster. As she and Addison took their seats with their friends, the thin pale girl muttered angrily, "Dumb kids gettin' in my way." As she placed her foot underneath the table, the sole of her black combat boots slipped on a fallen tomato slice, causing her knee to hit a part of the table. "Ow-how-ow!" she whined, causing her friends to laugh.

Even Addison laughed, which caused Alex to stare at her, considering that he'd never heard her laugh before. Perhaps she was not comfortable enough with the freshman in their group or maybe just not comfortable with him. Regardless, hearing her soft voice laugh lowly earned her his attention.

When the small brunette realized that he was staring, her chocolate spheres darted to meet with emeralds. Upon contact, they quickly fell and her vigor evaporated into its usual silence. In fact, she actually looked slightly irritated by the fact that Alex was looking at her to the point that she mentioned it.

"Could you…stop starin'?" Her eyes floated upwards slowly until they locked with his.

Realizing what he was doing, Alex snapped out of his staring and apologized, "H-huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry…It's just that I've never heard you laugh before." His lips could not fight the urge to curve upwards as he complimented her, "You should do it more often. It really suits you."

Addison's head flinched backwards from the unexpected flattery and her cold stare faltered again as she took her tuna sandwich with both hands and muttered, "You should stop staring more often."

"Yeah, before I teach you a lesson, punk!" Vera threatened while raising her twig-like arm at him.

Alex was not intimidated in the slightest but thought it best to let the black-haired girl have a victory.

"Okay, okay, I won't," he negotiated.

With a victorious smile, Vera threw her arms behind her head and leaned back, forgetting that the cafeteria seats did not have backs. She fell back, hitting her knee again against the bottom of the table, and released another moan.

Alex laughed along with his friends but suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his chest. It wasn't a physical pain but more of a metaphorical pain. It was as though something poked a hole in it to release all of its contents until it was left hollow. Now that his stomach had been filled, his mind was able to function and he missed Mark and was worried about both him and Kari.

Without a word, Alex stood up and started walking away from the group, prompting Cherilyn to ask, "Alex, where are you going?"

The brunette stopped and turned around, flashing a forced smile to ease her worry, and said, "I'm just gonna' get some fresh air. I'll be outside, okay?" Apparently, his smile did the trick because Cherilyn flashed him one of her own and nodded. "You coming, Pikachu?" he called.

"Pika!"

With the yellow mouse on his shoulder, Alex exited the cafeteria, leaving his friends still slightly worried by his abrupt behavior.

* * *

Sergio had sped his pace from a stride to a light jog and from a light jog to a steady run from a steady run to an outright sprint so by the time he reached the dorms, he was out of breath. However, he made it in time to find Kari stepping out of the Aqua Dorm with…_her_.

As soon as his eyes lay upon those navy locks, he cursed profanities too vulgar for even a sailor but he spared the world of such brutality by locking those thoughts away in his head. After giving himself time to catch his breath, he stiffened his body in preparation for an encounter that trumped that of a Nuzlocker going against a Wobbuffet.

With every step he took towards the two girls, his heart rate increased by a few seconds until it practically left a bulge in his chest. Raven soon noticed him and her face transformed to utter disgust as her eye lids tightened around her orchid gems.

"I'll see you later, Kari," she said before bumping shoulders with Sergio. Their similar statures coupled with the amount of force Raven put into the movement was enough to make the silver-haired boy's torso turn greatly.

He scornfully commented loud enough for her to hear, "Thank Arceus she's gone."

Her ears perked and she quickly turned around with an annoyed expression smudging her face.

"Hey honey," Sergio started, "Halloween isn't for a few weeks. You can take that mask off."

"I can at least change my facial expression. You can't change your stupidity."

"Actually anyone can get smarter by reading. Looks like you haven't."

"Sorry, I'm not a nerd like you. My career actually takes skill to succeed in."

"Guess you're screwed then," he shot back.

Kari interjected, "Guys, could we not do this right now? I have a major headache."

Sergio turned to her and his expression softened, "Sorry."

"It's okay. Did you want to talk to me about something?"

"Yeah, I did..." He shot a glare at Raven and added, "Alone."

"Gladly. The less time I spend around you, the more brain cells I can keep."

"I guess trying to keep up with me burns them out."

"More like hearing your voice makes them want to shoot themselves. Anyway, text me if you need anything, Kari. And don't forget to get something to eat, okay?" She shot one last nasty look at Sergio before leaving.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Kari asked.

He briefly scanned their surroundings before saying, "We should go somewhere with less people."

"I just came from my room. I don't feel like going back up. Come with me to student store? I need medicine."

He nodded comprehensively and followed her down the cement path to central campus.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"I heard that Chimchar…got separated."

She nodded silently, inwardly praying that she could stop getting reminded. She was conflicted by thoughts of wanting him back and the desire to just not think about anything for a while.

Noticing her distress, Sergio apologized, "I'm sorry for bringing it up. I just wanted to check up on you."

"I'm fine."

He stopped and weakly said, "Kari…"

She suddenly stopped too and snapped, "I said I'm fine!"

Nearby students looked her way but she just ignored them which was quiet easy considering that she completely forgot that anyone existed in this world other than herself, Sergio, Mark, and Chimchar, the latter two of whom were somewhere else on that vacant rock. Or at least, it was vacant to her. Nothing and no one else mattered at that moment because her two best friends were alone. The only thing that kept her from throwing herself into the waves was the hopeful thought that they were together and looking out for each other.

She fought back the warm liquid that flooded her eye sockets until it spilled onto her pink cheeks, descending until they reached her chin where they'd give into gravity's might and plummet to the ground. It was hard not to cry despite her best efforts. Warm arms wrapped around her forcing her hazel eyes to open. She shuddered from the close contact but without her consent, her olive hand slowly lifted to wrap around the tan wrist holding her.

"It's okay…" he said. "Let it out. You need to cry."

"I can't," she choked out. "I can't be weak right now. I have to be strong for them…for me."

Sergio guided her with his hands to turn around until they faced each other.

He told her, "Sometimes it's okay to let other people share your burden."

Bronze thumbs pressed against her cheeks and pushed the tears away. Kari wrapped her arms around Sergio's sides and rested her chin on his shoulder with her eyes squeezed tightly. He hugged her back and held her close but gently to comfort her. The two stood like that for quite some time and Sergio was prepared to stand like that for as long as he had to, which is what he did.

When Kari was finally ready, she let go and gave him a genuine smile. "Thank you," she said.

"Anything," he responded. "Medicine's on me, okay?"

She nodded and walked beside him towards the student store.

* * *

Guy's meaty fingers pushed Mark through the ship as he explained to the boy where everything was. He and Anya showed him the kitchen, front deck, the sleeping quarters, the boiler room, and the cargo hold, introducing him to crewmembers as they went along.

"So lad, how you likin' the place? I know it ain't no fancy shmancy boardin' school but it's pretty spiffy, wouldn't ya' say?"

"I-I guess it's very homely. You all seem to be rather close to one another."

"You guess?" Guy pushed his sleeves up so reveal the hairy arms underneath. "Why I oughta." Noticing the frightened look on Mark's face, he burst into laughter and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm just messin' with you, kid."

"Lard face, here, wouldn't hurt a Butterfree," Anya said with an honest smile. "He was just playing with you."

"Learn to ease up, alright?" Guy suggested.

"Okay…"

"'Scuse me's, people. Comin' through!"

Mark's ruby spheres landed upon a bald man walking down the hallway in their direction however, his attire segregated him from the workers there. Rather than a uniform, he wore a leather jacket with tattered blue jeans. His dark plum eyes met Mark's and the boy could see a wild mischief roaming inside them. He was accompanied by other men in clothing similar to his and all of them looked rather dangerous. A couple wore sunglasses to hide their hungry eyes but the bald one at the helm of their group left wanted the world to feel burning greed. He wanted the entire world in his torn pockets to do with what he pleased.

"Why hello there, lovely," he said, directed towards Anya.

She gave him a cold scowl but dared not say anything to him.

"Misael, m'boy!" Guy said with fake enthusiasm, to earn his attention. "'Ere to visit yer uncle, are ya'?"

"Why yes I am. Keepin' the ship floating, eh Guy?"

"That's meh job, lad."

"My uncle appreciates it," he said with faux friendliness. "So who's this squirt?"

"It's meh nephew!" Guy announced, calling back Misael's attention.

The bald man gave him a quizzical look and curtly stated, "You two look nothing alike."

"That's cuz he's m'wife's nephew."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"What's he doing here?"

"M'sister-in-law wanted me to show 'im around the joint to see if he liked sailin'."

"Oh, is that right?" he asked with a hint of skepticism in it. "So how _do_ you like it?"

Mark did his best to meet his eyes, his gaze faltered. He answered him nonetheless.

"I-I'm liking it."

With a sinister smile Misael said, "Well I'll be seein' you around then." As he passed by Anya, he gave her a wink, which made her body want to wriggle and squirm from sheer disgust.

Once the leather-clad men were gone, Anya stated, "I hate him."

"And you think I love lickin' the bottom of 'is boot?"

"Umm…" The two workers turned around to find a very confused Mark, patiently waiting to speak. "Who is he?"

Guy answered, "That's Misael. E's the cap'n's nephew."

"And a total creep," Anya added. "The pay here is good and the captain isn't really a hard-ass but just knowing that that douchebag can come on and off of the ship freely makes me want to get a new job."

"So why don't you?"

The orange-eyed girl shook from surprise before the burning spheres fell slightly.

"I can't," she answered. "I never graduated high school. This was the only job I could find to pay help my parent's pay for their little apartment on Crescent Island after my dad got a hernia from delivering ice. I don't exactly get time to search for another job and I can't just take time off because bills need to get paid so I'm kind of stuck here, you know?"

"I'm sorry to hear about your situation."

"Pft, it's nothing. Some people have worst problems." He knew that comment was directed towards his situation which made his eyes droop. "But don't worry, we'll get you back soon."

"How long will that take?" Quickly catching his mistake, Mark added, "Not to be rude or rush you or anything."

"Hey, Guy?"

"Hm?"

"Do you have a map of the Milky Ocean on you?"

"Right 'ere in m'overalls," he replied while taking a rolled up piece of paper out of his pocket.

"Thank you," she sang while opening the map and pressing it against the wall for them to see. "Okay, so this is Crescent Island and your school is here, right?" She asked, pointing to a star-like island west of the moon-like island and near the center of the map.

"Mhm."

"Okay and we found you around here, right?" Her finger hovered over a blue area between Star Island and Moonlight Island.

"Yeah."

"Well right now, we're over here." She moved her finger northwest of the spot it was previously at.

"Oh. Where are we headed, then?"

"To this island right here. It's called Valor Island. We're going to deliver some construction supplies so they can rebuild the old lab that had a meltdown there a few years ago."

"A lab? What happened there?"

"No one knows, lad. Just one day, the whole island went up in smoke but they were doin' some important research or somethin' so they want to rebuild it."

"We're just dropping off the supplies and heading back to Crescent Island so we can drop you off on your island on the way or send you back when we get there. Whatever the captain decides. Trey went to talk to him and see what he says."

"Okay, thank you both very much for your hospitality," he said with a bow.

"Now what did I just tell ya' about loosenin' up?" Guy scolded.

Mark automatically stiffened, "S-sorry!"

"Y'er gettin' even worst!"

"I-I can't help it!" he whined, causing the workers to laugh. Soon the infectious laughter made it's way into his lungs and he couldn't keep from joining them.

When they had all settled down, Mark asked, "Hey, do either of you happen to have a phone so I can call my friends at school? I lost my backpack out at sea." Suddenly, it hit him. "Oh no! My backpack! My homework was in there!"

Anya chuckled, "I'm sure your teachers will forgive you for it considering your situation. Anyways, nope, you're out of luck in that department. We only have a CB radio. Does your school have one?"

"I don't think so."

Guy suggested, "Well we'll send a message through juss in case."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it." He bowed again, earning another scolding.

* * *

Alex's walk had taken him far off campus, past the northern woods, and to the beach where he and his group departed from. He could smell the strong scent of sea salt in the air from the droplets that sprayed onto his face with each crashing wave.

He filled his lungs with a sharp breath before yelling at the top of his lungs, "Mark! Rafi! Chimchar! Where are you?!"

The only answer he got was from the passing Wingulls, which demotivated him. He plopped onto the sand and hung his head. What else was he expecting? If they were still alive, they were miles away on some remote island. If they were fortunate enough to land where there was civilization, the school would have gotten word from them.

"That didn't work?"

Alex's head snapped upwards to find Dr. Boykin standing beside him. The boy did not know what shocked him more: the fact that the instructor was there or his outfit. The brunette man was wearing a black wet suit with navy blue strips running down his chest. A Poke Ball was held firmly in his right hand.

"D-Dr. Boykin. What are you doing here? And what are you wearing?"

"I'm here for the same reason that you are. I came to search for your friends."

"You're going out there?"

"Yes I am. I'm not going to find them on this beach. However, that would be convenient." Alex's eyes fell to the red and white sphere in the man's hand and Dr. Boykin immediately knew what he was going to ask. The man laughed a bit before sitting down next to him and continuing, "I can understand the surprised look. You know, I used to be a Pokemon Trainer myself."

"R-really?"

"Yes. That was probably…whew! I can't believe it's been fifteen years since my last match."

"W-whoa! How old are you?!"

Alex was completely oblivious to how rude that question sounded but Pikachu couldn't help but face palm. Dr. Boykin was not bothered, however. Instead, he laughed.

"I'm thirty-three. Right after I lost that championship match, I decided to become a scholar and entered college to study Astronomy and Physics."

"How come you didn't keep battling? I mean, you must've been pretty good to reach the championships."

Boykin's gaze drifted to out to the ocean and Alex could see that the man was revisiting his days as a trainer – reliving the battles that he fought alongside his Pokemon.

"I was pretty good. Back when I started training, they didn't have schools like this where they helped you hone your skills and strengthen your bond with your Pokemon. They started up maybe a couple years after I'd already reached the pro league and I was doing good for a while until the competition started breeding their Pokemon to have the perfect natures with the perfect moves. Pure will and determination just didn't cut it anymore. Their Pokemon were just naturally better than mine and no matter how much I pushed my partners or how hard they tried, we just couldn't keep up. It was all downhill from there."

"Ohh. I'm sorry that that happened. How come you didn't just get a bred team like everyone else?"

A smile surfaced on the man's face as he pushed his glasses up.

"I couldn't just abandon the Pokemon that fought so hard for me for so long. Would you have?"

"Of course not!"

"You see, I may not be your battle instructor but I became a teacher to inspire youth in whatever they choose to pursue. I'm here to guide you to your full potential."

"Really?!" the boy asked with an excited smile.

Dr. Boykin chuckled, "Yes. Now I should get going. The sooner I get out there, the sooner I'll be able to find your friends."

Alex sat back and watched as the instructor approached the rolling waves and tossed his Poke Ball up high into the sky. It burst open with a bright light and dropped a shark-head Pokemon with dark blue scales and yellow star mark on its head. The water-type landed in the water and waited patiently for his trainer to mount him.

The brunette man had not ridden his Sharpedo in quite some time and it showed in the way he struggled slightly to get on. Once he securely sat on the Pokemon's back with his grip on the large fin, he said, "Okay Geyser, I haven't let you out in a while, but can you do me the favor and help me search for some students?" Geyser answered with a nod and a low growl. Dr. Boykin then turned to look at a bewildered Alex and bid him farewell.

As he watched the teacher and water-type tear through the waves, Alex turned to Pikachu and asked, "He'll come back with them, right?"

The electric-type nodded with positivity, "Pika!"

"Still…"

"Pika?"

"I wish I could do something. If only they hadn't taken Charizard and Pidgeotto."

"Pika, pi," he agreed sullenly.

Alex remained seated in the same spot, watching the gentle waves rise and fall in a strangely organized wave. They rose and fell when they were required to, never rushing to get to where they were headed.

"It's crazy that something like that…" Pikachu looked up at his trainer, realizing that the brunette was talking about the wild Gyarados, "lives out there."

"Pikachu…"

The boy quickly rose to his feet and said, "Well I'm not scared of that thing! It's strong but we'll get stronger, right?"

"Chu! Pikachu!"

With a soft smile, he looked back at the waves for a few more moments before realization sunk in.

"Wait a minute!" He plucked a Poke Ball from his belt and held it in front of Pikachu. "They took all of the Pokemon we had to get off the island, but they didn't stop us from getting more!"

The mouse understood what he was trying to say and cheered excitedly, "Pika!"

"We've got to ask Aaron for his fishing rod! Come on, buddy!"

**And scene! I'm sorry that this chapter isn't super long like you all deserve after waiting so long but I just needed to get this chapter out. There were no new submitted characters introduced this chapter so I apologize to everyone waiting for your character to appear but they will come out. I'm glad that no one has really asked "When is my character going to show up" in their reviews because that is one of the most annoying things ever and it honestly just says that you're here for your character and not for the story so high five to my readers for not doing that!**

**That's all I pretty much have for you guys this time around so leave your thoughts on the chapter, the characters, and the plot in the reviews and I'll see you guys next time! Legacy, out!**


	10. Moth to a Flame

**It's time! I'm on Spring Break and I've got the energy **_**and**_** the ideas to write for not only this story, but also Guardians of Remnant, Path of the Duelist, and a couple secret projects I have in mind. This last quarter was definitely busy but I actually feel better about it than the previous one which totally kicked my butt. Made it as a psych major, though, so I know that all of this hard work and stress is worth it.**

**Very important notice: I finally learned how to put accents on letters so from here on out, there will no longer be "Pokemon" (unless I miss it while proofreading) and instead, you will see "Pokémon." Now for some responses to reviews.**

**Legolas Dragon Ranger: I didn't consider confiscating fishing rods but I did think about confiscating ALL Pokéballs to prevent the students from catching new Pokémon. Given the circumstances and quick thinking that Cedar had to do, it's believable that he just forgot about that and is more concerned about his students' safety and the school's reputation. He also forgets about another, more important loophole that will be revealed in this chapter so stay tuned!**

**Aviator Capi: Please don't give me the motivation to do that. I've been considering doing a Pokémon Ranger SYOC but with all of the stories I have going on, it would never get updated. But my writing started when I wasn't happy that the author of my favorite story, which was an academy story, stopped updating so maybe you could give the Pokémon Ranger story a swing.**

**Zlaxe: Warmeyesshipping for Mark and Anya, perhaps? I'm interested to see how you feel about Jarrel in this chapter.**

**Keeveeo6: I'm actually not accepting OCs anymore because I've already got a diverse cast to work with at SA however stick around until the end of this chapter for more information. Also, I recommend that next time you're interested in submitting a character to any story, PM the author. You'll usually get a faster response especially if they're like me and only like to answer to reviews in their A/N. Sorry about not replying to your review with a PM and keeping you in suspense but my philosophy is that if someone wants to submit, they have to be proactive and approach the author, not the other way around. It's a very strict and stern way to look at it, I know.**

**As a quick reminder, I don't respond to all reviews. I only respond to the ones with questions that aren't about spoilers or the thought-provoking ones so please don't feel bad if I don't respond to yours here. Trust me, I read them all at least twice: as they come in and while I'm writing my responses. Now, on with the show!**

**Chapter 9: Moth to a Flame**

"Please! Please! Please! Please! Please!" Alex's knees were beginning to burn from rubbing against the inside of his jeans as he stirred on the rough outdoor terrain at Aaron's feet. The brunette's hands were clasped together tightly, preventing any air from escaping. They shook with each plead. The nearby waterfall was loud but Alex easily trumped its volume.

"I said no, mon," the taller boy said casually. He rested on a hammock equipped with a pair of sunglasses to eclipse his eyes from the sun's harsh rays however, the canopy of trees lessened the threat from above. The colorful net slowly swung back and forth, propelled by his right foot.

"But it's the only chance I have to find Mark and the others."

"No means no."

"But–"

"What does no mean?"

Dejectedly, Alex responded, "It means no."

"Dat's raight."

After the small moment of defeat, Alex continued his attempt to reason with his dark-skinned friend.

"I swear I won't break your fishing rod."

"And still I find mehself sayin' 'no'."

"Aaron!" he whined. "I just need it for an hour. Don't you want to find our friends?"

Finally, he stood up and countered, "Of course I do! But let me ask you dis! Where would you start looking?"

"I–"

Alex stopped himself right there, realizing that Aaron was right. The brunette hadn't even thought of where he would start looking or the process by which he would search for the others. He had no method, no strategy, no plan. If anything, he'd probably get himself in a situation in which he would be the rescue-y instead of the rescuer. His hands curled into fists that shook from frustration, which made both Aaron and Pikachu worry.

"I know that I have no idea how to find them…but I can't just sit here and do _nothing_!"

Aaron took a good look at his friend, especially his shaky emerald eyes which were filled with so much determination that he could practically see the essence leaking from his irises. Alex was set on doing something to fix this problem even if he did not know how. Against his better judgement, Aaron caved.

"Alraight, alraight. You win, mon. You can borrow meh fishin' rod." Alex inhaled with excitement, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling with vigor. "_But_! Only for an hour? Okay?"

"'Kay," he said childishly.

"Come on, I've got to go get it from my room."

"Roger that!"

"Help me wit de 'awmmock?"

"Sure thing…mon!" Alex added playfully.

The taller teen could not fight against the powerful tugging at both ends of his mouth so he simply rolled his eyes.

As they untied the ropes and rolled up the colorful net, Alex started, "Hey Aaron?"

"Mm?"

"What is this place, anyway?" he asked, referring to the strip of land that they were currently on.

The three stood near the edge of a cliff with a nearby waterfall pouring its contents into the stream below. It all seemed so serene with the occasional Pokémon passing by either through the woods atop or the creek gurgling at the foot of the cascade. Butterfree and Beautifly would hover by, Pidgeotto and Fletchinder fortified their nests and fed their chicks, and a variety of aquatic Pokémon followed the stream, often jumping into the water below.

"It's meh happy place."

"Happy place?"

"Yeh. Everybody's got one."

"I don't."

"Of course you do. It's wherever you're happiest. Where is dat place?"

Before he could answer, Alex pondered to himself until the only response he had was, "I dunno."

"Well it don't hurt to find one, yah?"

"Yeah, you're right! I know! I'll start searching as soon as I get Mark and the others back!"

Aaron chuckled. He couldn't help it. The boy's enthusiasm was just too much. However, a small part of him _did_ actually believe in this effort, even if it was only because Alex was the one behind it.

* * *

"Mark! Are you okay?"

The crimson-eyed boy held the sides of his head, on the brim of ripping his raven locks straight out of it as he paced back and forth in the sleeping quarters, repeating "No!" He did not stop to explain to Anya what was wrong and instead fixated on his problem, unable to tear away from it.

Fed up with not being answered, she stood in front of him and forcefully dropped his hands. With nowhere to look but directly into her burning orange spheres, Mark finally made eye contact with her and once it was established, she said, "Let's try this one more time. What's wrong?"

"Y-you guys didn't find a backpack with me, right?" She had already made it clear that Mark was found with absolutely no one and nothing around him but it was apparent in his voice that he was hoping that she was lying to him.

"Right," she reconfirmed.

"This is bad. This is really, really bad!"

"Kid, I'm going to knock your block off if you don't explain to me what you're freaking out about."

"I-it's this e-egg."

"An egg?"

"I had a Pokémon egg with me inside my backpack when my friends and I were attacked by the wild Gyarados. I was holding it for a–" Mark knew exactly what Jarrel was to him but he did not feel it important enough to mention so he settled for calling him, "a classmate…"

"A Pokémon egg, huh?" This was bad. Anya was not used to comforting others. All of the help she'd been to Mark was really just her trying to make his time onboard easier but how was she supposed to handle a problem this big? Considering that the egg was not with him, it was safe to assume that it was long gone.

She began, "I-um, I'm not really sure what else to say, but I don't think that it's not around anymore."

Anya could literally hear something crack and it was most likely the boy's heart. That shot a bullet right through hers. What else was she supposed to say? She had absolutely no experience with Pokémon let alone one of their eggs.

Mark's eyes fell from defeat. He wasn't worried about what Jarrel was going to do with him if he made it back to Star Island. He felt like a complete failure for letting down that unborn Pokémon. It was dead before it was even alive. How much more twisted could that get? And it was all because of him. If he had been responsible like Aaron and stayed at home for the wellbeing of the egg, this would not have happened. Instead, he selfishly put its life at risk all for an afternoon with friends. Why didn't he realize that the whole trip was dangerous to begin with? If he had, it wouldn't have died.

"M-Mark…" she started. "It's not your fault."

His jaw tightened and he failed to make any eye contact with her.

"Listen to me. Mark!" She shook him, forcing him to look up at her. "This is not your fault. Okay? It's not. Please don't beat yourself up about it because there was no way of knowing that a thirty-foot sea snake was going to attack you. Did you know that that Gyarados would attack?" He just didn't have the energy or the will to respond. "Hey! Answer me." He weakly shook his head. "Then it wasn't your fault. Alright?"

He slowly nodded, "Yeah…"

"Okay."

There was a strained silence between the two. Anya slightly regretted being so aggressive with him not knowing that Mark berated himself for resisting her so much. She was only trying to help and he kept pushing away her advice.

"We're almost at Valor Island. That means you're almost home. You just have to wait a bit longer. Is that okay?"

His lips curved slightly, "Yeah, it is."

"Great!"

There were a few swift knocks on the door, which Anya responded to by saying, "Come in!"

On the other side was Trey, who wasted no time in telling Mark, "You have a visitor."

"A v-visitor?"

Trey nodded, "an instructor from your school."

The abysmal feeling that swirled in Mark's heart churned into hope at the sound of the news, manifesting into a wide smile. This was the largest smile Anya had seen since she met the boy and she herself could not fight the urge to grin along with him.

"You hear that? You get to go home a little sooner than we thought!"

"Not if you two stay there," Trey pointed out.

He turned to his side so the two smaller forms could walk past him. The three of them walked to the captain's quarters in silence, but it was not unwelcome. It was that quiet moment that came right before an achievement. Mark saw the captain's door open and in his mind, rays of white light burst from inside as though it were his doorway to heaven. Finally, this nightmare would be over and he would be reunited with his friends.

Then, doubt hit him. He instantly stopped walking, making Anya and shortly after, Trey, do the same. Horrible thoughts started to claw away at his brain folds, leaving gashes that would haunt his dreams. Images of his friends floating lifelessly in an expanse of oscillating blue and of bloody Sharpedo teeth flashed in his skull. Soon, he grasped the pendant underneath his shirt, having thought of Sharpedo teeth.

Anya cautiously approached him and muttered, "Mark?" His eyes sluggishly floated up, fighting to meet with hers. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah."

He continued walking until they stepped through the captain's door. Inside were Misael and two men that Mark had never seen before. Or at least, he did not think that he had seen the ghostly man wearing a dress shirt. He assumed that the man with the fantastic grey mustache sitting behind the desk was the captain. If that wasn't enough, he wore a coat and hat that screamed "Captain!"

The other man had his frizzy light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail that barely reached his neck. He studied Mark closely with faded blue eyes.

Mark could not remember if he had ever seen this man on campus but there were still many instructors he had not met yet. He tore his eyes away from this man to look at the captain and Misael and that is when he noticed that all eyes were on him and it made him incredibly uncomfortable.

Trey broke the silence by presenting Mark to the captain, "Captain Horthy, this is the boy we found."

A gruff voice vibrated through the thick mustache, shaking it with each word, "Ah! Very good! Well, Mathias. Here is your student."

The man, named Mathias, took one more moment to analyze the boy, paying particular attention to his face. Finally, an eerie laugh broken by small intervals escaped his chapped lips.

"You've probably never seen me, young Markus, but I am Dr. Mathias Levay. The good captain here contacted Star Academy to tell us that a student of ours was on his ship so I came to retrieve you. Come now, we must get going." He walked towards Mark and placed his bony fingers on the boy's sweater to nudge him towards the door. Dr. Levay turned back around to tell Captain Horthy, "My sincerest gratitude on behalf of the academy, Captain."

The gruff man nodded and bid the student and teacher farewell. On his way out, Mark turned to Anya who wore a warm smile and waved to him, to which he returned the gesture. He felt like he should say something to the person who had been by his side during a time when he was alone and confused but he could not bring himself to burden Dr. Levay by halting him. Instead, a wave would have to suffice as the wall blocked her from his field of vision.

While strolling through the ship, Levay comforted Mark, "Rest assured, child. Most of your friends have been returned safely to the academy."

The sharp fangs on his lungs relinquished their ferocious hold, allowing him to release a breath of relief.

"R-really?!" He could not hide the excitement in his voice, which brought the instructor enough amusement to make him chuckle.

"Yes. Kari, Alex, and Sergio are all on campus."

"What about Rafi?"

"Young Rafi has not been found but rest assured, police and even my fellow instructors are searching for him."

Mark gulped, hoping and praying that Rafi was okay.

Raven slammed her dorm room door wide open and heard a high squeak in response coming from further inside. Already used to her roommate's tendencies, the bluenette mindlessly walked to her bed and threw her bag underneath it.

"Sorry, Alaina," Raven said as she passed by.

Her roommate mumbled, "I-it's okay…" before returning to her homework.

* * *

Raven flopped onto her bed, face-up, and allowed the bed's springs to push her up until the tension stopped and she was lying with her orchid eyes staring at the ivory ceiling. Thoughts refused to pass through her brain, leaving it hollow and dry, and this was reflected on her distant expression. Finally, she started to think about the situation with Kari and the others and soon, memories from the previous day slipped through the gyri in her cerebrum. Her bright pink orbs began shaking and her jaw clenched tightly from those thoughts.

To avoid thinking any more of that bald scum, she sat upright and suggested to Alaina, "Hey do you want to catch some battles at the Battle Club?"

Alaina turned around in her chair and meekly asked, "M-me?"

"Is there anyone else in the room?"

The black-haired girl was caught off guard because it was a rare occurrence that Raven would ask to spend time with her. The previous day was actually the first time that they went out together.

"N-no, I'm okay. Thank you."

Raven's eyes narrowed.

"You've gone through like three books, 'Laina. Have you even left the room?"

"Y-y-yes…"

"So why are you still in your pajamas?"

Icy spheres fell to black sweatpants that sheathed her pale legs.

She tried to defend her case, "I-I stepped outside for a moment."

"You don't have socks on." Facing defeat, Alaina set down her copy of _How to Kill a Delibird_.

Raven pulled up her chair and sat down close to her roommate. "Do you want to talk about what happened yesterday?"

The tiny girl slowly shook her head while avoiding eye contact which was why she let out a yelp when she felt Raven tugging at her shirt, easily pulling her off her chair.

"If you're not going to talk about it, then you need to distract yourself. The worst thing you can do is sulk about it."

"O-okay, but can I at least c-change first?"

"Why? You look cute in your pajamas. You'll get all the boys." Raven smiled at the sight of a red hue filling Alaina's pale face to the brim like a cup of hot coffee. "I'm just messing, 'Laina. Go on and get showered and dressed. I'll wait for you."

Raven waited until the bathroom door opened to reveal Alaina fully dressed and her hair in a ponytail.

"Cool. Let's get going."

On their way to the door, the two girls were stopped by the sound of something solid falling onto the floor. When Raven realized that it was Shizukana's Pokéball, she slapped her forehead and walked to pick up the red and white sphere. A button click later, and the dark/steel-type appeared before her with an irritated look on his face.

"Don't give me that," Raven sassed. "I've got a lot on my mind." The Pawniard held his strong gaze until his trainer groaned, "Fine, I'll get you a scratching post to cut up. Okay?" He nodded and followed Alaina out the door so Raven could lock up behind them.

The walk to the Battle Club was compromised by a painful silence. Raven knew that her roommate was not a conversation starter but she herself was not going to continuously go out of her way to communicate with the girl. The bluenette thought it best not to pressure Alaina after what the two of them had gone through. This trip was Raven's effort to comfort the meek girl but without any input from her roommate, the bluenette had no idea what she was feeling. Hopefully she could open up with time. For now, this was good enough.

Entering the Battle Club, the girls and the dark/steel-type were met with a cool blast of fresh air from the vents and a warm smile from Don George, who simply waved to them like he did to all students that passed by his desk.

Raven heard mumbling coming from behind her and turned to ask, "What did you say Alaina? I couldn't hear you."

"I-I've never been here before."

"Really? Not even for the battle royal?"

She shook her head, "I was unaware that there even was one."

"You need to get out more often." Alaina's tiny head drooped, causing a sharp pain in Raven's heart when she realized that she hurt her feelings. "H-hey! But we're outside now, right? Come on. Let's go to the stands to see what kind of battles are going on."

"O-okay."

Raven led her roommate and Pokémon to a middle section of the arena – close enough to see and far enough from the actual action. There were individuals and small clusters of students scattered throughout the stands, watching their friends and peers battle against one another in the designated fields at the base of the building.

"You see any good battles, 'Laina?"

The black-haired girl slowly scanned the area, too timid to give her input. Finally, her icy spheres fixed themselves on a black and yellow hoodie. Raven followed her gaze to find Chase standing on one end of a field with his Beedrill hovering before him. Across from them stood a curvy, slightly tanned teenage girl with scruffy dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a yellow shirt with a red Pokeathlon symbol on the front, a pair of black jogging shorts, and red and white trainers that had been used enough to make them well worth their price.

A blue alligator with red spikes and a round beige stomach stood proud and tall between the girl and Beedrill. His jagged teeth crept out of the confident smirk he wore.

"Hey look, it's Chase and Lennie," Raven said. Her orchid eyes shifted to a tall dark-skinned boy with spiky black hair, marked with white streaks that reached the nape of his neck. "And Kordell too. Come on, let's join them!"

When they neared Kordell, they could see that he wore a completely black outfit, save the golden shirt underneath his sleeveless hoodie and the golden highlights on his sneakers. Having seen someone approaching him from the corner of his eye, Kordell turned and smiled at the girls.

"Hey there, Blue!" he greeted.

"Hey Kordell," Raven responded.

"And, mmm…Alaina, right?"

She nodded slightly.

Raven asked, "What are you up to?"

"Just watching Chase and Lennie go at it."

Putting a fist on her hip, Raven pointed out, "You look kind of bored."

"Yeah, we played water-grass-fire to see who could go first."

"And you lost," the bluenette finished.

"You got it."

"Want to have a battle then?"

"I don't see any open fields so let's wait until they're done down there."

"Sounds like a plan to me! Mind if we sit with you?"

He shrugged, "I don't see why not."

Once seated, Raven told Kordell, "You guys don't seem to be bothered by the lockdown."

He gave another shrug, "It's whatever. Lennie's been keeping us busy all day. Hope they catch those criminals soon though because this place is going to start feeling like a prison."

"What makes you say that?" the bluenette inquired.

"Well sure, there's stuff to do here like train here at the Battle Club or in the woods, play sports, study, watch TV in the lounges, but this is going to get boring real soon. It's no wonder that second-year took off."

Alaina submitted to the urge to ask, "W-what d-do you mean?"

"You guys didn't hear?" They both shook their heads. "Well when they came to take a second-year trainer's Pokémon, he tricked the R.A. into waiting for him to get the Pokéball. After a while the R.A. realized he'd been tricked and used his master key to get inside and it turns out that the student climbed down the window and went off into the ocean on his Dragalge."

"That's nuts!" Raven shouted.

"What is?" asked Chase as he casually approached the group.

"I was just telling them about Felix."

"Oh that guy? Yeah, it is pretty crazy," Chase commented. "Wonder what he plans to do once this all blows over."

"Chase!" The group turned to find the dirty blonde running towards them. Her lips flapped ferociously, "You'redonealready?!Whysosoon?!Weshouldhaveanotherbattle!Oh!HeyRaven!Youupforabattle?!"

Alaina had retreated behind Raven's navy locks, completely immobilized by Lennie's intensity.

"Sorry, Len," Kordell said as he lifted himself off the bleacher. "I've got Blue next."

Lennie huffed, "ButI'mnottiredofbattlingyet!"

Chase rolled his eyes, "You're never tired."

"That's!" She prepared a rebuttal but smoothed down her response, while still speaking rather quickly, "Completely true. Oh well, want to go do some laps around the Battle Club?"

Chase sat down next to Alaina, who inched away slightly. He paid no mind to this and replied, "No, I'm good. On your way back, bring me back a Soda Pop, though." He handed her some cash and she nodded before running off.

"Energetic, ain't she?"

By this time, Kordell and Raven were almost on the field so Alaina was thrown off by his question.

"M-me?"

"Do you see anyone else around?"

How had she walked into that twice on the same day?

"I, um, I suppose so."

Chase nodded to her then directed his attention to the Raven and Kordell, understanding that Alaina was not all that talkative.

On the battlefield, Kordell asked Raven, "So how many we rockin' out with?"

"How many you got?"

"Just three. You?"

"Three. First to knock out two, then?"

"Sounds good to me."

Kordell reached for one of the Pokéballs on his golden belt, never breaking eye contact from his opponent. Raven plucked one of the spheres as well and quickly tossed it up. He also threw his and two bright flashes dropped two Pokémon onto the dirt.

Ironically, Raven's Pokémon of choice was a small violet-colored cat with piercing green eyes while Kordell's was a small brown lion cub with a tuft of red-orange fur on his head. The two felines stared each other off, both anticipating their owner's orders.

"Ladies first," Kordell offered.

With a smirk, she replied, "You know being a gentleman might not always be the best thing. Hime, Fake Out!"

In an instant, the Purrloin appeared before Litleo and clapped her paws together on his face, making him flinch. Using the opening, Raven had Hime use Fury Swipes. The violet cat continued her barrage of scratches until Kordell commanded Litleo to use Fire Fang. Seeing the cub's canines ignite, Hime pulled back to escape the biting attack.

"You didn't even have to tell her to pull out," Kordell marveled. "Interesting thing you've got goin' on, Blue."

She smiled victoriously despite not having won anything yet and responded, "Thanks! Compliments won't spare you, though."

"Is that so? Guess we better start fighting seriously." His sly smirk challenged her, propelling her to command Hime to use Fury Swipes once again. When the Purrloin approached Litleo, Kordell called out, "Noble Roar!"

The quadruped grounded his paws into the dirt and readied himself to release a small roar – that bordered adorable more than it did threatening – causing Hime's physical and special attack to drop slightly. This allowed him to take another flurry of swipes and counter with an Echoed Voice attack. The sound wave threw Hime backwards and just as she was about to get up, she was knocked back by another one. The tiny lion repeated this onslaught, refusing to let her stand, until the victory was his.

Placing her hand forward, Raven called back the unconscious cat into the red and white sphere before replacing it with another and summoning a green blob-like Pokémon with a red diamond between its eyes.

"That was just a warm up!" she called.

"I sure hope so," he teased. "Litleo, use Echoed Voice!"

"Light Screen!" The Duosion created a barrier of yellow energy that reduced the amount of damage she withstood from the attack. "Great job, Mirai! Now follow up with a Hidden Power through the Light Screen!"

A bright light formed within Mirai until she released it in an outward-moving wave of spherical blasts that passed through the Light Screen, adding a yellow tint to it. The Hidden Power connected with Litleo, but did average damage, meaning that it was a type that was neither super-effective nor not very effective.

Chase leaned forward in his seat and nodded his head comprehendingly. He spoke out loud – mostly to himself, but also for Alaina to hear.

"Interesting. She battles just like she would in a contest."

Kordell laughed, "Pretty flashy move. I dig it. But so will Litleo's fangs in your Duosion. Use Fire Fang!"

Recovering from the blowback, Litleo set his fangs on fire and pounced onto Mirai. To his surprise, she slipped right from under his paws. Kordell cocked his head back slightly indicating a confusion that matched his Pokémon's.

"Perplexed?" Raven baited.

"Alright, I'll bite. What's the deal?"

"What you see is what you get. Think of Mirai's body like jelly. Unless you stomp down directly on her, she'll slip away."

"Interesting. We'll just have to go fang-first this time. Use Fire Fang one more time!"

"Psychic!"

Mirai caught Litleo midair and allowed him to simply float before slamming him onto the ground. A small cloud of dust covered the cub but when it dissipated, he was found unconscious. After returning his fallen friend, Kordell called forth his oldest companion.

The Pokéball burst open and a blue frog with a scarf-like tongue flipped out of it and landed on its webbed hands and feet.

"You ready to end this, Greninja?" Without moving his ruby eyes from the psychic-type, he nodded, simply waiting for orders. "Hit her with Water Shuriken!"

Placing his hands within close proximity of each other, water gathered between them and swirled until it took the shape of a bladed four-pronged star. It spun rapidly between the frog's hands before he shot it off in Mirai's direction.

"Set up another Light Screen!" Following orders, she created another barrier but Greninja's Water Shuriken was not slowed down at all and hit the green blob directly on the nose, splashing water into her eyes.

"Oh no! Mirai!"

"Quickly! Night Slash!"

Greninja dashed across the field before the Duosion could lift its eyelids and swung a blade of dark energy that formed around his hand. A large gash formed on Duosion's body and the immense pain made her pass out.

With Mirai back in her Pokéball, Raven stared at the silver button, bothered by her failed plan. "Why didn't it work?" she muttered to herself.

"Because Water Shuriken is a physical move."

Her head snapped up at the sound of Kordell's voice approaching her. She watched his large frame approach her, casting a long shadow over her in the process. Orchid eyes peered up at him, patiently waiting for him to elaborate.

"You know how different moves hit a Pokémon's physical or special defense? Well Water Shuriken hits the physical defense and Light Screen only increases your Pokémons' special defense. Clear?"

She allowed the new concept to sink before smiling up at her opponent and smiling, "Yeah! That makes sense."

The crack in Kordell's smile revealed gleaming white teeth. He continued, "You're kind of new to battling, aren't you?"

"I'm used to the contest setting. It's more about pizzazz and accentuating your Pokémon's inner beauty and strengths rather than brute force."

He chuckled, "Well it ain't _just_ brute force. There's strategy in regular battling too. If you're game, I'd be willing to teach you."

Raven eyed him with an eyebrow raised, a tad skeptical of his claim, but ultimately accepted his proposal. "Tell me the time and place."

"Aight. Mind if I get your number?"

She smacked her lips and playfully accused, "I see, so that's what this is about, huh?"

He laughed in response, "A guy's gotta' get the number some way, amiright?"

"I suppose." She took his Holo Caster and started fiddling with it. "This is strictly just for training, got it?"

"Like this number, I got it," he joked. "Well it looks like Lennie's back from her little jog. I'll see you around, Blue." He retrieved his mobile device and walked away, holding his index and middle fingers up. She waved back to him.

Breaking her eyes away from him, Raven decided to return to her roommate but stopped when there was a distinct lack of metal steps. She turned around to find Shizukana with his blades crossed. Her orchid gems circled her eyelids.

"Are you mad about me not using you in that battle?" No response. "Fine, I'll get you two scratching posts when this lockdown is over." His beady black eyes slowly moved to look at her to see if she was sincere. Reaching the conclusion that she was, he walked towards her, dropping the attitude.

* * *

Alex cheerily hummed a Unovan Authors song while dangling his feet over the edge of the rock he sat on that overlooked a small creek. Pikachu had gotten bored of waiting for a water-type to tug at the line so the brunette allowed him to run around and bother nearby bug- and flying-types. Aside from the humming and the small bit of commotion Pikachu caused in the background, everything was quiet. In fact, the area felt even still, save Alex's swinging feet and the slow-moving fishing line that created ever-expanding ripples on the marine surface.

Under these conditions, Alex was finally given the time and solitude to process everything that had happened to him and his friends thus far – the attack, losing Mark, Chimchar, and Rafi, and Sergio making it to the boat…by himself. He quickly shook the dangerous thoughts, whipping chocolate tresses as he did so. _No! Sergio wouldn't do that!_ He chuckled to himself, "What were you thinking? You should focus more on getting yourself a new Pokémon! This is gonna' be _sooweet_!"

Pikachu stopped his mischief and cocked his head confusedly at his trainer talking to himself. He then ran to the brunette to investigate the matter further.

"Pika?"

Alex looked down at the mouse and said, "Oh hey, Pikachu! What's up?"

"Pika! Pikapika pi!"

"I'm glad you're having fun!" he exclaimed with a goofy grin.

Pikachu sighed, not finding the need to correct his trainer. Alex would probably not understand what he was saying either way. The brunette had gotten accustomed to hearing the mouse's speech but it was a hopeless effort without context clues and gestures.

For the next few minutes, the two sat there, stamina draining with every passing second that the fishing line floated aimlessly without even a nibble. That is until the long string tightened and Alex found himself pulling back on the rod.

"This is it, Pikachu! Quick, use Thunderbolt on the water before it gets away!"

"Pika?"

"Yes! Hurry!"

The electric-type nodded, "Pikachu!" and then unleashed a bolt of lightning into the small pond. Soon, water-types unconsciously floated to the top.

"Huh. Maybe we didn't need Aaron's rod anyway."

Alex spoke prematurely as the casted line still led underneath the rocking water indicating that the Pokémon he was after was still underneath.

"That's weird. Shouldn't it be rising?"

"Pika, pi!" he suggested while pointing to the line.

"Yeah, I guess I should check it out."

The boy stood from his spot, lifted the bottom of his jeans, and carefully stepped into the water, making sure to walk around the unconscious Pokémon. As he approached the spot where the line dipped underneath the water, he saw something rise from below the surface. A large blue Pokemon with beady eyes and a round tail stood, startling Alex. It did nothing to harm the boy, however. Instead, it just stood there with a blank expression.

Jumping out of the water, Alex shouted, "Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu shot another bolt, this time directly at the new Pokémon but the attack seemed to have no effect whatsoever.

"W-what?! B-b-b-but how?! It's a water-type, isn't it?!"

His Pokémon shrugged and tried to give an explanation, "Pika, pikapika pikachu!" however the boy understood none of this.

"Wait! It must be a ground-type too!" The awkward blue Pokémon turned away from Alex and Pikachu and began walking off aimlessly. "H-hey! Come back here!"

Alex ran straight into the water to chase after his target but was stopped when a smaller blobby Pokémon surfaced in front of him, ceasing his advance. This Pokémon looked like a miniature version of the other one except with a wide head and small purple feelers on its cheeks. Alex analyzed this creature before deciding to step around him to pursue the larger one.

Ten minutes into the search, Alex found himself in the middle of a lake with no sign of his target. Deciding to abandon his efforts, he went back to his fishing spot and told Pikachu, "Sorry to come back empty-handed, bud, but I couldn't bring back anyth–"

Pikachu's gaze was aimed just to the right of Alex who looked down to find the tiny blue Pokemon from before, still wearing the lost look on his face.

"Huh? Alright! We got a catch! So does this mean you want to come with us?!"

The tiny creature did not respond. He merely stood there with unfocused beady eyes and his lips slightly tugged upwards.

"Is that a yes?"

He remained still.

"No?"

The silence continued.

"What's your answer Arceusdamnit?!"

Fed up with not receiving a response, Alex huffed, "Come on, Pikachu let's get out of here."

Collecting his backpack and Aaron's fishing rod, the brunette took a few steps but was stopped by his companion who was trying to get his attention. He looked behind him to find the other Pokémon walking alongside Pikachu.

"So you do want to come with us!" he shouted excitedly.

Still no response.

"Do something!"

* * *

After walking Kari to her dorm so she could get some rest to ease her headache, Sergio decided to sit in the first floor lounge of the Ventus dorm to distract himself with some television. Unfortunately, there were some obnoxious first-years tossing crumpled up paper balls at each other so he went back to his room. He assumed that Alex was still with their friends but did not pay much mind to it. As he sat on his bed, gently pushing the metal strings on his guitar while tuning them as he saw fit, he thought of his other roommate. There was no word of the red-eyed boy's whereabouts but somehow, Sergio had a strong feeling that he was okay. He couldn't explain it but he just wasn't worried about Mark and it wasn't because he didn't care. Some inner mechanism in his head suppressed the dark thoughts and cleared away the fog so that he could say without a doubt that his missing roommate was okay.

Then, another face drifted into his head and this one made him twist a knob on the headstock abruptly, snapping the string that was wrapped around it. His jaw muscles clenched tightly and so did those in his arms and hands. This was all _his_ fault. If that hyperactive idiot didn't insist on some stupid little trip, then they wouldn't be in this horrible situation. They would all be here on campus, free to go to and from Crescent Island as they pleased, and in perfect health. Kari was full of worry, Mark and Chimchar could be dead, and in addition to Kari and Alex's Pokétch and Pokégear being fried, Sergio lost his glasses. That obnoxious brat put their lives and physical health at jeopardy and not only cost Sergio and his friends expensive possessions, but also their peace of mind. And now that infuriating imbecile made him break one of his guitar strings.

Sergio let his thoughts slip into the physical world and uttered, "I hope that retard stays lost." Immediately after the words penetrated his ears, Sergio's eyes widened and his breathing hardened. His eyes narrowed and he stood up from his bed. He left the room with his incomplete instrument lying on his bed.

Running out of options for a place where he could find solace, the silver-haired boy made his way to the campus activities center and took the stairs to the third floor – it was faster than the elevator in that building. When he reached the top floor, Sergio found a few students sitting on the couches either on their laptops, reading a book, or talking to the students currently playing with the pool tables. There were three pool tables so it wouldn't take too long for Sergio to get a game.

His patience rewarded him with the opportunity to play, which he took as soon as one of the tables freed up. After pulling one of the cue sticks from its stand, he went to rack up the balls, making sure to alternate between solids and stripes around the edge, just like his dad taught him. He pushed and pulled the rack before stopping it so that the apex ball was right at the foot spot and carefully lifted the triangular piece of equipment from the table. Sergio took a moment to admire his work and awarded it a smile of satisfaction but was broken by his celebration when he heard a voice that sounded as though it were caught somewhere between a boy's pubescent years. He recognized the owner as female, though.

"Wanna' go for a round, Paint Brush?"

When his obsidian eyes rose to meet the person standing on the other side of the pool table, they narrowed slightly and his lips curved into a small smile. She stood with one of her pale hands on the edge of the pool table and the other balled up into a fist and pressed against her hip.

"I'm up for a game…Veera."

The mispronunciation of her name threw Vera from her composed confidence and caused her to lose balance. She quickly regained it and flailed her arms, "It's Vera! Veh! Ra! You already know this!"

Sergio chuckled before rolling the cue ball over to her and said, "Yeah, yeah. Ladies first."

With a smirk, she countered, "Come over here and start then."

Pleased with her comeback, Sergio made his way around the table and placed the cue ball near the left-hand corner and positioned himself to strike it. Vera waited patiently for her opponent as he brought the tip of the cue stick closer and further away from white sphere. Finally, he struck his target, forcing it to slam into the assorted triangular figure, which burst apart upon impact. None of the balls went into any holes so Vera aimed for an easy target and made the 3-ball inside a corner pocket.

As she set up her next shot, she stated, "You look like shit, by the way."

Sergio shrugged, "I haven't gotten much rest."

"Any word about the others?"

He was surprised by how open she was about the topic, considering that they were in a lounge public to the student body. Sergio scanned the area quickly to see if anyone else was paying attention before responding, "Nope. Still lost."

"Kinda weird how that Gyarados attacked you guys all of a sudden. It was probably sent after you." She missed her next shot and made way for Sergio to take his turn.

The silver-haired boy rolled his eyes and thought to himself, _here we go with her paranoia_.

Catching the eye-movement, Vera jumped onto the table and crouched down so that she was eye-to-eye with her opponent. Having his shot disturbed, Sergio first moved back from shock but then glared at her with cold eyes.

"I'm not crazy," she stated.

Sergio mimicked her with a ridiculous impression, "_Hey Sergio, you're probably under attack by some government spy for studying something so mysterious like Mega Evolution._"

"I don't sound like that!" she shouted, while stomping ferociously on the table. She moved wildly enough to hit her head on the hanging lamp and the next thing she knew, she flat on the ground. Sergio took a look around at various pairs of eyes aimed their way. He was hoping that none of them could make any sense of what he just said.

"What seems to be the problem here?"

A tall young dark-skinned woman with circular glasses and a frizzy black ponytail sticking out the back of her head approached the two students. Her outfit was pretty casual with the jeans, a blouse, and a cardigan, although the upper two garments could barely suppress the mounds underneath. Sergio and Vera knew this woman as the activities director.

"S-sorry, L-Lydia," Sergio stammered in his attempt to not look directly at her breasts. It was difficult considering that they were right there in front of him. "V-Ver-ra and I w-were in a, um, a heated di-iscussion abou-out, um…" _Think fast! Think fast!_

"Whether Draconids are aliens or vampires!" Vera cut in.

Lydia sighed, "Are you two trying to get kicked out?"

"N-no ma'am." Sergio just could not find a good place to leave his eyes. Lydia would get mad if he didn't look at her but her stern gaze made his falter and when it fell, the only spot to look at was directly below her face so he would aim his sight lower and then the cycle would repeat.

"Well just don't cause any more trouble or I _will_ have to kick you two out."

"Roger!" Vera called as she casually strolled over to reorganize the billiards.

"G-g-got it!" he choked out.

Once Lydia had left, Vera scoffed loud enough for her friend to hear, "Pervert." That little comment earned her the finger.

* * *

Pikachu, Aaron, Stacy, and Cherilyn burst into laughter as Alex demonstrated that the Wooper would not stop following him no matter what he did. He would run around a tree and the tiny water-type would follow. He'd throw the Pokémon and it would rush back to him. He would spin it around and run and after falling from dizziness, it would get back up and chase after him.

"This isn't funny, guys!" he whined. "I've tried everything to get rid of this dopey 'mon! I've trying trading it, I've tried selling it, I've tried abandoning it, but nothing works! It keeps coming back!" At this point, he had a handful of Aaron's shirt in each fist.

"Let. Go. Of. De. Shirt."

Alex released his grip and slowly backed away until he was a comfortable distance from his friends.

"I do suppose you should be careful what you wish for," Stacy lectured.

"I didn't wish for this! I wanted something I could use to get off the island like a Mantine or a Poliwrath! Not this thing! And look! It doesn't respond to what I say or do!" He turned to the Wooper and commanded, "Use Water Gun."

His new catch just stood there with the same brainless smile he'd worn all day. Alex then pushed his head, but he bounced right back. He then grabbed the purple antennae on either side of Wooper's head and pulled on them which only made the smile look even more ridiculous.

"See?! He doesn't do anything!"

"Oh, it cannot be zat bad," Cherilyn said as she strolled up next to the first-year and lifted the water-type. Immediately she felt something slimy on her smooth golden hands, which made her yelp and release the Wooper by sheer reflex. "What did I touch?!"

"It's a water/ground-type," Aaron explained. "It's bound to 'ave mud on it."

Cherilyn muttered while carefully scratching the goop off of her finger nails, "And I just got zem done." A dark hand with ruby polish held out a napkin, which the tiny blonde gladly accepted to wipe her hands with. "Merci!" she sang.

Stacy then turned to Alex and asked, "Does it even know Water Gun?"

"Idunno, don't most water-types?"

"Maybe you should check."

"Oh right! My Pokédex can do that! It's a good thing the Professor made these things waterproof or I'd be in a heap of trouble with him."

He aimed the red device at the Wooper and waited for the list of moves that the water-type knew to appear. The only two moves to appear were Water Gun and Tail Whip.

"It does know it! See?! This thing is useless!"

Pikachu's ears drooped, hearing such harsh words exit his trainer's mouth and personally, that was the last straw for Stacy.

"Alex!" Stacy scolded, "There's no such thing as a _useless_ Pokémon. Only useless trainers." That stung the boy a little and for a second, Stacy regretted letting those words escape but ultimately kept her stance.

Aaron agreed, "She's raight. Maybe dis Wooper is still a newborn and doesn't know 'ow to use its moves yet."

Alex nodded slowly – however it was a bit mechanical. His gaze was distant because he was thinking about what his friends just told him. Dull jade eyes regained their vigor when he came to a conclusion.

"I know! Maybe if he just sees some battles, he'll learn a bit about them!"

Pleased with his sudden revelation, Stacy nodded her affirmation with a proud smile.

The brunette turned to Pikachu and said, "Looks like you've got yourself a student!"

He raised his left paw in the air and cheered, "Pi-ka!"

Alex turned back around to his friends and asked, "So, who wants to spar?"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaleeeex!"

The group turned to find another emerald-eyed boy running towards them with speed that rivaled a Dodrio's. He stopped suddenly in front of Alex and hunched over, placing his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"Riley?" Alex questioned.

The eccentric boy snapped his head up, stood up straight, and aimed his pointer finger at the brunette, accusing him, "You haven't answered any of my texts!"

Alex laughed guiltily and held his hands defensively, "My Pokégear's kind of fried."

"Fried? What do you mean?"

_Crap, he doesn't know_. Alex looked over at his friends, asking with his eyes for permission to explain the situation to Rafi. Cherilyn nodded, Stacy shook her head, and Aaron simply shrugged, giving him mixed signals.

"Ah! Who cares?!" Riley said energetically. "Whelp, how's about we go for a good ol' fashion battle? I've been itching for one especially since…" His head dropped as he explained, "Since you guys went on that trip without me." His vitality quickly returned, "By the way, how did that go?"

Alex glanced again at his other friends for advice. This time, Stacy nodded, Aaron shook his head, and Cherilyn shrugged her shoulders. The brunette gave them a frustrated look before returning to Riley to say, "Buddy, it's been a _long_ day. I'm always up for a battle, though. My new Pokémon needs to see what a real battle is like, anyway."

"New Pokémon?" Riley found the little water-type happily standing next to his trainer. "Oh cool! Yeah! I want to see it in action!

Alex laughed to himself, _Did he just completely forget what we were talking about?_ _Better for me, I guess_. "Riley, that's the thing. My Wooper doesn't know how to fight yet. He's just a newborn. I was hoping I could use Pikachu against you."

"Oh look! Pikachu's outside of his ball. That's neat! Anyway, I'm down for that. Jazz could use a bit of practice too."

Placing a hand on his knee for leverage, Aaron said, "Alraight, I'll referee den." He stood between the two first-years and announced, "You two may begin when you're both ready!"

Alex looked to his right and said, "Pay attention, alright Wooper?" Despite finding a determination to teach this Pokémon, it still irked him that the water/ground-type refused to respond. Turning to his left, he commanded, "Let's get them, Pikachu!"

"Pikachu!"

He swiftly ran before his trainer and readied himself for battle.

"Let's do it, Jazz!" Riley called as the Pokéball he tossed released his Snorunt.

"Begin!"

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

"Jazz, use Ice Wind on the ground!"

The Snow Hat Pokémon released a breath of icy air, which froze over the grass on Pikachu's path. Caught off guard by the tactic, the electric-type slipped and continued forward by sliding on his back.

"Now Bite!"

With the yellow mouse quickly approaching uncontrollably, Jazz opened his tiny mouth and clamped down his tail.

"Pika!" he cried while jumping to his feet and running around in an attempt to shake off the ice-type.

"Hold on tight, Jazz!"

With each shake, Jazz called back, "Sno! Sno! Sno! Runt!"

Alex grinned, "If he won't let go, we'll just make him! Pikachu, Electro Ball!"

Pushing through the intense pain on his tail, Pikachu gathered energy into his tail and the forming sphere managed to open Jazz's mouth. Free from the Snorunt's jaw, Pikachu distanced himself before following through with Alex's next command to use Quick Attack again.

Cherilyn sighed, "He never learns."

"Jazz, Icy Wind again!"

Stacy rhetorically replied, "Doesn't he?"

Using the same strategy, Riley and Jazz created an obstacle for Pikachu but he was prepared this time and sidestepped the frozen trail. With Pikachu fast approaching, Riley reflexively commanded Jazz to twirl while continually using Icy Wind. Obliging, the ice-type spun around, spreading the attack all around him.

Alex told Wooper, "Alright, now watch this. Pikachu, up!" Once the mouse was high in the air, he called out, "Electroball!"

Riley expected an attack like that once Alex commanded Pikachu to jump so in response, he told Jazz to use Double Team. The electric orb crashed on a mirage so Riley took advantage of Pikachu's immobile state in the air.

"Jazz, hit him with Ice Shard!"

From all around, Pikachu saw incoming frozen projectiles, making it impossible for him to know which ones were real. Soon, he felt sharp edges digging into his side and the momentum managed to toss him aside. Pikachu fell hard on his side but still fought against the pain to stand up.

Once he was up on all fours, Alex asked, "Can you still fight, buddy?"

"P-pi-pikachu!" he called proudly.

"That's the spirit! Pikachu, one last Electro Ball!"

In response, Riley called out "Double Team!" His head snapped back when he realized that Alex called out the same move at the exact moment that he did. Soon, multiple images of Pikachu and Jazz stood side-by-side in a circle leaving everyone except the two Pokémon in the mix lost and confused.

"A-amazing!" Cherilyn awed.

Aaron chuckled, "Looks like we got ourselves a Coloan stand-off. Multiple of them," he joked.

"Jazz, prepare an Icy Wind!"

All of Jazz's afterimages obtained a cyan glow in their mouths and all of Pikachu's afterimages had a static-filled yellow sphere forming on the tip of their tails. There were a few moments of suspenseful silence between the trainers, their Pokémon, and their friends viewing from the sidelines before both boys ordered, "Fire!"

Dozens of electric spheres and trails of icy air met in the center but only one of each was real. All attacks – both tangible and illusionary – met a target but only one connected with the correct target. Pikachu's Electro Ball passed right through one of Jazz's phantoms but by luck of the draw, Icy Wind blasted the yellow mouse, throwing him out of the circle and dispelling the Double Team.

"Pikachu!" Alex shouted as he ran over to his Pokémon with Wooper waddling behind in pursuit. Taking the mouse in his hands, Alex thanked him for his effort and allowed him rest inside his Pokéball.

Riley did the same with Jazz and cheered, "Yes! I did it!"

Alex walked over to his friend and said, "Yup, that was a good one for sure."

There was something off about what the brunette said and Aaron immediately caught onto it. He could tell that there was a bit of spite behind Alex's words so he placed an arm around him and asked, "Hey, do ya mind talkin' for a bit?"

"Huh? Um, sure…"

As the two friends walked away from the group, Riley turned to the girls and asked, "Was it something I did?" They merely shrugged in response.

"What's de matter wit ya?" Aaron asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Are ye mad that Riley won?"

The brunette let out a sigh and said, "Yeah, you got me. But not because I can't take a loss!" His head drooped and his gaze fell upon Wooper. "I wanted to win so Wooper could see how to battle good and Riley won by luck so he couldn't learn."

Aaron placed a hand on the younger boy's shoulder and responded, "Alex, only showing Wooper de wins isn't going to teach 'im 'ow to win. It's only going to teach 'im what winning looks like. In fact, he'll learn more from the losses dan he will from de wins, especially if he's de one losin'."

"What do you mean?"

"Who's yer favorite trainer?"

"Ever? Mmmm, I'd have to say Blue."

"And why's dat?"

"Well most people like Red because he beat Blue but I can't really get behind a guy that just goes off and leaves everyone the way he did. Besides, Blue became the champ first and ended up becoming the strongest gym leader in Kanto. Part of me doing the gym challenge is getting the chance to meet and face him."

"Well guess what. Blue might have gotten to de Indigo Plateau ferst and he might have been the champion ferst, but he never once beat Red in a battle. Does dat make him a failure?"

"N-no…I guess not."

"Of course not! Blue is a well-respected man in his region, even dough he can be a little cocky, and it's because he became strong through all of his failures."

Applying the lesson to a person that Alex viewed as a hero must have gotten the message through to him because the brunette's emerald gems glistened with enthusiasm and he carried a determined smile with him.

"You're right, Aaron! Wooper, I'm going to show you all of my battles no matter what the outcome is! Okay?"

It could have been his optimism, but Alex could've sworn that Wooper's smile grew slightly.

Before Alex could go off to congratulate Riley appropriately, Aaron called his attention.

"Wooper wasn't de only one you didn't want to lose in front of. Am I raight?"

The brunette knitted his eyebrows from confusion. He glanced back at his friends then snapped his head back to Aaron who wore a victorious grin. The older boy knew he was right and Alex just realized what he was right about.

"Y-you mean Cherilyn? N-no, no! I don't–We–" He sighed from defeat. "Is it that obvious?"

Laughter erupted from Aaron's powerful lungs. He patted the shorter boy on the back, forcing him to stumble a bit. "Oops! Sorry about dat, mon. Yes it's dat obvious but don't sweat it. You're doing fine. If you really want to impress her, show 'er 'ow big of a man you are. Carry yerself wid dignity."

Fighting the blush creeping on his face, Alex nodded his understanding and made his way back to the others. The boy then rushed over to Riley and said, "Dude! That really was an awesome battle, but I'll be sure to beat you next time!"

Riley laughed, "Bring it!"

Alex could not help but glance at Cherilyn who looked directly at him with a sweet smile. Feeling good about the outcome, he smiled back at her. At least one thing was going his way that day.

* * *

After saying goodbye to his friends for the day, Alex decided to stop by the Pokémon Center to get Pikachu healed up. He got Wooper into his own Pokéball and was now sitting in the lobby on his own, waiting for Nurse Joy to return with Pikachu. Soon, a familiar face from earlier that day entered and their eyes met almost immediately.

"Hey Alex!" Jarrel called.

"Hey, Jarrel! What's up?"

The older teen sat down next to Alex and said, "Nothing much. What are you up to?"

"Just waiting for Nurse Joy to finish healing Pikachu?"

_Serves the little fur ball right for growling at me_. "Oh. Is he alright?"

"Yeah, we just got out of a battle with one of our friends. He'll be good as new."

"That's good. So I've been meaning to talk to you."

"About what?"

In a low voice, Jarrel explained, "Not in here. Meet me on the front steps of the Uxie Library in fifteen minutes"

"O-okay?"

Jarrel left and shortly after that, Nurse Joy called Alex to receive his Pikachu and the Pokéball that he rested in. Placing the device on his holster, the boy thanked the nurse and went to the library to reunite with Jarrel. The sun was already beginning to set so the brick and cement structure shaded them from the dimming light.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"Alex, I get the feeling that there's something going on with you and your friends and I want to know what it is."

"W-what do you mean? There's nothing going on."

"I'm getting the suspicion that there is because I went to check on Kari earlier and she looked tired beyond anything. I asked her why she hadn't answered my texts and she told me that she lost her phone."

"Yeah? So?"

"Sergio said that she lost her charger."

_Crap_. "S-she was tired. She probably meant her charger. Yeah! That's it!"

"Alex," he growled sternly.

"I swear, nothing's going on!" he stammered.

Jarrel regained his composure and said, "Oh, ok. And here I went through all of the trouble of getting these back for you." He held out a pair of Pokéballs. "This Charizard and Pidgeotto belong to you, right?"

"H-how did you get those?! Professor Cedar took them from me himself."

"I'm going to be honest with you, Alex. My dad donates _a lot_ of money to this school and he gives me a lot of money for spending. Sometimes it really pays off like when tipping some generous employees to give me my Samurott back. I thought I'd be a pal and get you your Pokémon back too."

The spherical devices drew Alex's gaze like a moth to a flame, tempting him regardless of how dangerous they may be. His body began to shake involuntarily as his mind fought against himself. The Pokéballs urged his arm to rise but he stiffened it to keep it still. Then his legs itched to move forwards but he pushed both of them against the ground to restrict them. It was torture seeing what rightfully belonged to him resting mere feet away with the reminder of punishment nagging at him during every moment that he stood there. He knew he could not take a step forward but turning around never crossed his mind. Slowly, his hand lifted, finally overpowering his will, and reached out for the Pokéballs.

Jarrel pulled them back and said, "Tell me what's been going on first. Then you get them back."

With a painful swallow, Alex asked, "H-how do I know that they're actually in there?"

"Would you risk someone seeing them if I were to prove it to you?"

_Bastard_.

He wanted to talk where students hardly passed by at this hour but enough did to make it unfavorable to release the Pokémon inside those devices.

"F-fine."

Alex began to recount the events of the previous day and that morning, ending with his and Kari's return to the island.

_So the twerp's missing? He better still have that egg._

"Alex…" The boy's head snapped up at the sound of his name. "Thank you for telling me. Here." He tossed the miniature spheres, which the first-year caught – one in each hand. "You'll need those to find your friend and I'm coming with you."

"W-what?"

"You heard me. We're going to find Mark, Rafi, and Chimchar."

Excitement splattered across Alex's face as shouted, "We are?!"

"Shh! Keep it down!"

"Sorry. This, this is just awesome! Thank you so much!"

"No problem. We need to get going soon."

"Um…Jarrel?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm excited to start searching ASAP and all but it's getting dark soon."

"I know but the chances that something horrible happens to them increases the longer that they're out there. Besides, the Bullseye Marts on Crescent Island close soon."

"What are we going there for?"

"To get you a new Pokégear, of course. We need to keep in close communication in case we were to somehow separate. Luckily, the trip to the island won't take too long if we take your Charizard and my Samurott."

"What about the others?"

"Others?"

"You know. Sergio, Kari, and the rest of my friends. They want to find Mark, Rafi, and Chimchar too."

"I couldn't get any of their Pokémon back. I didn't have the time to find out which ones were theirs but I've seen your Pokémon in Mr. Q's class so I knew which ones to look for. Your friends won't be of any use to us."

Alex stood still for a moment. Should he trust this boy whom he barely knew? But he finally found a way to find his friends. Their reunion was within grasp and all he had to do was trust Jarrel so why couldn't he? Why was it this hard?

"Alex. I need your answer now. The stores will be closing soon and we're losing daylight really quick."

The brunette stared his peer in the eyes, reading his expression. It was one of urgency. With a deep breath, Alex agreed and the two boys headed to the easternmost part of the island where their journey would begin.

* * *

**Special thanks to:**

**SaiyanKJ** for **Kordell Young**

**Thief of Stealth **for **Lennie Mary Darren** (you've been waiting since Pokemon Academy: Power of Chaos for Lennie to appear so I'd like to say thank you for being this patient with me.)

**HUGE thanks to Kashimo's Comet for the book title, "How to Kill a Delibird" and the idea to turn real world pop culture and literature references into Pokémon versions like I did in this chapter with Unovan Authors (the band American Authors)! He's a very creative guy with a fun list of Pokémon-themed names for musicians. He's also got a Pokémon fanfic called "Trainer High" which is a work in progress but definitely worth checking out!**

**For those of you who were paying close attention to the match between Alex and Riley, you might've noticed a word you're unfamiliar with. That word is "Coloan." It is not a word used in the Pokémon franchise but given the context, you might be able to figure out what it refers to. Its significance, however, will not be as apparent to you as of right now and will be revealed later on.**

**So as some of you might notice, the SYOC is now closed but don't be discouraged! In several chapters, it will reopen for a select group of characters that will play an important part in the next arc. Also, there's always the possibility that I reopen the SYOC later down the road after the upcoming reopening in case I've used all of the ones I currently and have room for more.**

**Lastly, I want to give a big thanks to my readers who have stuck around despite the slow updates. I know that slow updates are a major turn off for readers so I greatly appreciate those of you who continually support me and for the newer readers who show their interest and support. Remember to leave your questions and comments in the review section and I'll see you all for the next chapter when Alex and Jarrel begin their search! Legacy, out!**


	11. The Midnight Mission

**Hey, it's been a minute, huh? I know that I promised a lot of stuff during Spring Break but that was only a week long so I wasn't being realistic with the amount of time that I had. But now that I have the whole summer, I'm planning on at least getting the Moonlight Arc done and if not done, close to done. There should only be about four chapters left after this one before we move onto the next arc so hopefully I can get all of those done this summer. I've been absolutely itching to write since Spring Break and now I can so I hope that you guys haven't lost interest in this story yet because I'm still going to continue it. Now to respond to reviews! We have a lot to cover this time.**

**InariKurenai: Yeah, I know that a lot of SYOC writers, especially those writing about a school, will use the first two or so chapters just for character introductions but I absolutely hate writing that way. I feel that characters should come at their own pace and that each one should be distinguishable which is impossible if they're all thrown into the first two chapters.**

**grimbutnotalways: I'm glad that you think so highly of this story. I just do my best to do right by the people who submit.**

**Legolas Dragon Ranger: I always feel like my battle scenes are kind of like the games but with a bit more detail. Guess it works though so no point in worrying too much about it.**

**OPFan37: Of course I did! Dude, you had me looking through the last chapter to find a speech made by Cherilyn because I was sure that she didn't give a speech until I realized that you were talking about her and Aaron's accents. Yeah, that's been going on since their introductions. I'd be disappointed if you didn't take another swing at it. I know your OCs have gotten much better and I've heard from Heart and DJTiki that they're really good so I look forward to seeing what you come up with. I did but I haven't responded to a lot of the ones submitted because I decided to scrap that project and redo it from scratch. I literally just wrote it because I had the urge to do so that same night. Well I really liked her character because it was different from everything else that I was getting around that time. She got creative with the Pokéathlon theme and her Pokémon choices were refreshing instead of the very common Pokémon that I see all the time. Let her know that I said thank you for the character.**

**SomeoftheFlame: Now this is the type of review that an author is lucky to get so thank you very much for taking the time to read my story and make notes on what you liked and didn't like as well as offer critical and helpful advice. That being said, I'm not going to respond to absolutely every point but I will address the big ones. I see what you mean by "color nouns" and I'm glad you brought that to my attention. I actually never thought that they were boring (still don't) but I can see why you would think so. That being said, I might cut down on using them but they won't leave my writing style as I would use a character's name WAY too much if I didn't have the "color nouns" as a go-to back-up to refer to them. For the papyrus thing, I agree with you. I'm not sure how I came across the word but when I used it, I whole-heartedly believed that it was a synonym for paper. Now the trauma left behind by the Gyarados attack let's agree to disagree with how I handled that situation because I genuinely feel like in each moment, the situation was difficult for every party involved (the shipwrecks, their friends, the school, and the cops). I'm glad that you pointed out the "brunette" vs "brunet" distinction. I fixed it in my Word Doc but I don't know when I'll do it on FF. I'm assuming that I haven't done so yet because I don't remember doing it but I'll know when I try to fix it. Lastly, I'd be glad to see an OC from you in the upcoming submission. Don't worry, nothing critical you said in this review will hinder your chances of getting accepted. I give everyone as fair of an evaluation as possible.**

**Chapter 10: The Midnight Mission**

Jarrel was frustrated and his impatience was apparent in the way he tapped the shelf with a stiff finger while Alex's head shifted from side-to-side, studying the Pokégear boxes that he held in each hand. They had been standing in that spot for ten minutes – nine too long for Jarrel's liking. This was supposed to be a quick stop on their journey but unfortunately his plans were halted by a trivial decision between a finger scan lock and a better quality camera.

The tall, hairy employee that they had asked for help was now supporting his weight with a shelf and had placed his furry chin on his meaty arm. He looked just as frustrated as Jarrel but company policy forbade him from rushing the customer.

Alex muttered to himself, "With this one, Kari won't be able to unlock my phone again and take selfies with me while I sleep in class." He raised the other one, "But the camera on this one has really cool effects. Besides, Kari can always just grab my hand and use my finger. But then again, I don't really take pictures." Emerald eyes aimed up at the employee as he asked, "How much are they again?"

This was pure agony and Jarrel couldn't take it anymore so he interjected, "He'll take both!"

Alex turned to his partner and laughed, "Both? Come on, I only need one."

"Just take both. You keep the one you like more and give the other one to a friend, okay?"

"Mmm…nah! I couldn't make you pay for _both_ of them."

"Money really isn't an issue for me. Time is, though."

"Oh right! Ok, if you don't mind, I'll take both of them then."

_Finally!_ Jarrel could almost hear the employee yelling the same thing in his head.

The third-year paid for the phones, happy to continue their mission until the large man asked, "Which one are you going to sign up for a plan with?"

Jarrel's inward, primal shouts almost manifested themselves into the material world because he knew that he was not going anywhere any time soon. While Alex pondered, the steel-eyed boy repeatedly slammed his head against the counter that they stood at.

* * *

Mark sat in the lobby of Professor Cedar's office with his fingers interlocked and resting upon his lap. He had been waiting for ten minutes when Dr. Levay told him to have a seat and wait to be called inside, thinking that the instructor's return would cue the boy to enter. The pale man had only exchanged a few words with his employer before exiting the office and leaving the lobby without even a glance at the boy. Professor Cedar had not exited his office to call him in either so he assumed he was just supposed to wait.

A couple more minutes passed before he heard multiple footsteps thumping against the carpeted floor. He turned his head to find two of his fellow shipwrecks, accompanied by his Pokémon Habitats instructor, Ms. Bennett.

Hazel orbs shimmered when Kari saw her best friend sitting right in front of her. Tears threatened to spill over but she didn't care. The only thing that mattered was running into Mark's arms and holding him tightly. The red-eyed boy stood up and accepted her, wrapping his thin arms around her too. Soon, small droplets fell down the side of his face as well. Normally, Mark would be ashamed of himself for letting other people see how weak he was but the satisfaction and relief that came from reuniting with Kari easily trumped it.

Ms. Bennett allowed them to have their moment but broke them apart by teasing, "By the looks of this, I might have to start seating you two apart from each other."

Crimson and hazel eyes flashed open and the two people that they belonged to moved away from each other. They both stammered to explain to their instructor that their relationship was strictly platonic, making her laugh in the process.

"Okay, okay, I was just joking," she explained. "But now that you two have had your moment, we should go inside. The Professor's been waiting for us for some time now."

"Wait!" Mark shouted. He looked over at Kari's shoulder, scanned her person, and then looked around the room. "W-where's Chimchar?"

Kari's lips began to quiver so Sergio placed a hand on her shoulder and explained to his roommate, "We haven't found him yet. We were hoping Cedar would have some news on him and Rafi."

Mark slowly nodded his head, feeling guilty for not reaching that conclusion himself. Sergio then placed a hand on the crimson-eyed boy's shoulder and offered him a small smile and a nod as his way of expressing his relief from his safety. Mark returned both gestures but quickly redirected his attention to the woman before them, standing at the entrance to the dean's office.

Ms. Bennett made way for the three students before entering herself and shutting the door behind her. There were only two seats inside so Sergio gestured for his friends to take them, understanding that Kari was still worn out and that Mark must have been too. The two accepted, not wanting to prolong the proceedings by declining. They all looked forward to the smiling professor but his gaze was mostly on Mark.

"Mark," he started. "I'm so glad that you're safe. How are you feeling?"

"To be honest, I'm just exhausted."

The man nodded, "I'm sure you are. I'll make this quick so you can get some rest." He aimed his gaze to the red-haired woman and asked, "And Alex?"

She shook his head and answered, "No one's been able to find him. I asked Sergio about Alex's favorite spots but he isn't in any of those places."

"I see. And you have no idea where he could be, Sergio?"

"Absolutely none. I haven't seen him since lunch time. Last I saw him, he was heading to the cafeteria to meet up with some other friends."

"That's strange. Perhaps he went off into the forest to catch some new Pokém…"

The three students and instructor were puzzled by his sudden pause but no one said anything until Ms. Bennett asked, "Sir, is everything alright?"

Cedar covered his eyes and rubbed his temples as he asked, "He's catching himself a Pokémon to get off the island, isn't he?"

Sergio shrugged, "Probably but there aren't really any fully evolved Pokémon on the island from what I've seen."

Ms. Bennett added, "And by the time he evolves a flying- or water-type, this whole situation will have blown over."

"No, you're both right," Cedar said, relaxing in his chair. "You three can just relay this to him when you see him."

"Relay what?" Kari asked.

"What I'm about to explain." He paused to gather his thoughts and then began, "It's been over twenty-four hours since the shipwreck and the only members of your group who are still missing are Rafi and Kari's Chimchar, correct?" The students simply nodded. "Between the police and some of the staff here, we've searched about half of the islands north of here, which is the direction that you all took. This is both good and bad. It's good in the fact that we are getting closer to finding them…if they can be found."

Kari's throat closed completely, preventing even the tiniest drop of saliva from slipping through. Mark noticed how she tensed up so he gently squeezed her hand, showing her that he was there for her. She turned to look at his gentle expression, which eased her slightly but the worries continued to whirl in her head.

Cedar continued, "I understand how difficult this can be for you, Kari…but I suggest that you prepare yourself for the worst." His voice was solemn and grave, furthering the girl's anxiety. Mark felt her squeeze his hand in return, but much harder than he did hers. Her stress had to go somewhere so he did not mind being the outlet.

"That being said, we will continue to search for Rafi and Chimchar but with classes resuming on Monday, all professors that are currently searching will return to the island for their jobs. I'd prefer if we could keep this situation known only to a small circle of people until it has been resolved. I promise you all that by the end of this upcoming week, the student body and the general public will be informed of this all. For the time being, I advise you three and Alex to focus on your studies. If any of you feel too fatigued or distraught to perform in class, let your instructors know and report to the medical center so they can evaluate your wellbeing. This is only if you are incapable of carrying out your academic duties, of course. Is that understood?"

His students nodded and then Sergio asked, "What about the lockdown?"

He sighed and responded, "We will institute this lockdown until this situation has been resolved."

Mark cut in, "L-lockdown?"

Cedar turned to the crimson-eyed boy and said, "Dr. Levay probably did not mention this to you but the school is currently under a lockdown. Since this morning, the ferry that takes students to Crescent Island has been instructed not to come and all water- and flying-type Pokémon have been confiscated. That reminds me, your file says that you have a Prinplup and a Staravia. Could you hand them over?"

Mark saw no advantage gained from lying so he nodded and reached into his pocket. He pulled a couple of Pokéballs and handed them to his headmaster.

"Would you mind if I made sure these Pokémon are the correct ones?"

He shook his head, "No sir, its fine by me."

The office had enough room so, one at a time, the professor called forth Mark's Pokémon to confirm whether the boy was being honest or not. He was which made things easier for them both.

With that matter dealt with, Cedar asked, "So are there any questions you may have?" Kari raised her hand, making her headmaster chuckle a bit because of the unnecessary formality. "Yes Kari?"

"My phone isn't working and I haven't had time to use a payphone or the office's phone so I wanted to know if my parents were informed."

The professor nodded, "Yes, we've alerted them of the situation. My secretary says that your mother was understandably worried and wanted to speak with you but when your R.A. went to check on you, she said you were fast asleep and did not want to disturb you."

"What about mine?" Mark asked.

"Your parents actually called the school and were quite displeased with us. If your mobile device is working, you are free to call them. If not, you may use the office phone."

Mark confirmed, "My Pokétch is water-proof so I'll call them after this."

Kari slouched in her chair and pouted, "I was this close to upgrading mine to the water-proof one. Just three more weeks!" she lamented.

Clearing his voice, Cedar asked, "Any other questions?"

Sergio responded, "This isn't a question. I just wanted to let you know that my folks called me right after they talked to the school and told me they were considering transferring me to Citadelle in Kalos. I convinced them not to because I was the cause of the accident. Besides, the life I've chosen – the lives all of us students have chosen – is filled with danger. Most of us have travelled around our respective regions, some have journeyed multiple, and there are a number of things that can happen to us. We could get crushed by rock-types, mauled by forest Pokémon, hell! There's a Pokémon rumored to kidnap children!"

"Sergio, the accident was no one's fault. It is just a tragedy that comes with an adventurer's life. Aside from that, you've made fair points and I greatly appreciate you talking your parents out of transferring you from this academy. Some of the other parents have also threatened to withdraw their children and that is their decision alone to make. I will respect whatever action they choose to take." As he said that, the professor took a long look at Mark who nodded mechanically, understanding what he was referring to. "This whole situation will hopefully be resolved within a couple of days and once it is, new rules and policies will be implemented to limit the likelihood of this happening again. If there are no more questions, you are all free to go about your evening."

* * *

Alex and Jarrel exited the store with the older boy asking, "Does it really take forty minutes to pick a Pokégear and set up a mobile plan?"

"Aw, come on, Jay," Alex said, patting the third-year on the back. "It didn't even take _that_ long."

Much to Jarrel's chagrin, he ignored the nickname and responded, "Alex, take a look around."

Emerald eyes captured their surroundings, taking note of the blackened sky and the shimmering street lights. Despite being past sundown, the city was still quite active with people and cars passing by in all directions. A myriad of voices speaking and laughing pummeled Alex's ears from every direction and constantly shifted so no single combination of voices was ever heard twice. The yellow lights that spilled through windows onto the street, accompanied by neon "Open" signs, drew customers into businesses. The volume of activity was not surprising considering that it was a Saturday night.

Jarrel reminded his partner, "We need to get going now."

"Right!"

Together, they made their way to the beach where they called forth Charizard and Jarrel's Samurott, Riptide. While Alex mounted his Charizard, Jarrel asked, "So where should we start searching?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Maybe because you were on the boat that got attacked."

"Well we were on our way to Moonlight Island when the Gyarados attacked us. I'm not sure how far we were from the island when it happened, though. I'm not even sure which island Kari and I were on when they found us and where it was, exactly."

Without responding, Jarrel tinkered with his Xtransceiver and within seconds, Alex felt his wrist vibrate. The brunet simply swiped the screen, not having put a passcode yet, and looked at what his partner sent him. It was a map of the Milky Islands and all of the islands found within its waters. Many of them were labelled but the two most identifiable islands were Crescent Island and Star Island. The former was considerable much larger and provided shelter within its curve to not just Star Island but a handful of others before the small land masses started dotting out around the area in spontaneous fashion.

"Okay, so we're currently on Crescent Island and Star Island is just east of here. Moonlight Island is about ten miles from the northernmost part of Star Island and twelve miles from the northernmost island in the Milky Islands, Valor Island, up in the northeastern part of the map."

"Yeah, I see it. So you want to start there?"

"Well the police and school staff must have already checked it and the surrounding islands but still, it's worth a shot to check it out."

"Sounds good to me!

Jarrel and Riptide made their way to the rolling waves where the teen boarded his blue otter. Charizard started beating his wings and hovering over to the water when Jarrel instructed Alex, "In case we get separated for some reason, make sure you input Moonlight Island for the GPS on your Pokégear and remember that we're meeting in this little concave in southeast part of the island."

"Con-what?"

Jarrel responded flatly, "The little curved opening."

"Oh! Right! Gotch'a!" Jarrel turned his back to Alex to prevent the brunet from seeing him roll his eyes.

Jarrel felt Riptide begin to accelerate on the darkened water so he braced himself for the speed that he would soon feel coursing through him. With an iron gaze held forward, he thought to himself, _If I can't find that egg, you better hope that I can't find you either, Mark_.

* * *

Following their meeting with Professor Cedar, Mark, Sergio, and Kari called for a meeting of their own with their friends. The three of them, as well as Aaron and Stacy sat around Mark and Sergio's room with the inhabitants sitting on their beds and the guests occupying chairs – excluding Kari, who stayed beside her best friend.

Kari had invited Raven but she refused to be in the same room as Sergio, let alone his, which she explicitly described as "smelling like cheese just like his music." The Chimchar owner felt it not worth mentioning to her researcher friend, nor did she have the energy or patience to endure a confrontation between the two enemies.

In the fifteen or so minutes that the group was there, the two tallest teens were debriefed on everything that their headmaster discussed with Mark and others, though the crimson-eyed boy remained quiet for the majority of the conversation.

Aaron rubbed his rough hand against his ever rougher chin, contemplating what to say. Meanwhile, Stacy sat patiently with her legs crossed and her polished hands resting on the black cloth of her skirt. The tallest boy was clearly the de facto leader of the group so she would wait to hear his thoughts before adding her own.

His lips finally parted and everyone was left in anticipation for a short moment while they waited for his voice to reach their ears.

"What are you all lookin' at meh for?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

Stacy chuckled and shook her head while covering her eyes with one hand.

Sergio explained, "We were waiting to see what you'd say about all this."

"What is der to say? We jast gotta' let Cedar and de cops handle dis." The others nodded so he assumed the conversation was over. As he stood, he stopped himself from exiting the room to ask, "Wait. Why isn't Alex a part of dis conversation?"

"Because he wouldn't even be able to follow," Kari said, a hint of mockery tainting her words. She suddenly thought out loud, "Wait, why _isn't_ he here? I know he's not the sharpest knife in the kitchen but he should know what's going on."

Sergio pointed out to Aaron and Stacy, "I thought he was with you two."

Stacy shook her head, "He left to heal Pikachu after their spar against Riley."

"And he's not with Cherilyn?"

"No, Cherri was with us before going back to her room."

"They might've met up again," Mark suggested.

"Stacy, can you give Cherilyn a call?" Sergio asked.

"On it."

Her gentle fingers danced over her Xtransceiver screen, typing in "Cherri," as she had her in her contact list. After pressing the call button, she waited to hear a smooth Kalosian accent on the other end. After several rings, the voicemail answered, asking Stacy to leave a message which she obviously did not do because no one left voice messages anymore.

"No answer?" Kari asked.

"Hold on a minute. I'll call Addison. She most likely knows where Cherri is."

* * *

Addison twirled her mechanical pencil between two fingers while she sat at her desk with a notebook folded over onto one page and a large Geometry notebook. She tapped the papyrus surface a few times with the white eraser, contemplating where she went wrong with her current problem.

_I carried the two…divided both sides…used the– _

Her Pokétch vibrated on her wooden desk, interrupting her train of thoughts. She let out an outward groan and let it buzz for a few seconds, debating whether to answer. After seeing the caller ID, she reached out to answer it and asked, "Hello?"

"Hey Addie!"

"Hey Stace," she responded casually. Her eyes fell back to the math problem that plagued her. "What's up?"

"Is Cherri there with you?"

"Yeah but she's taking a shower. Why do you ask?"

"I'm in Sergio's room right now with Kari, Aaron, and Mark–"

"Wait, Mark's back?"

"Huh? Oh yes, of course! I'm so sorry for leaving that detail out."

Addison raised her brows while a small smile formed on her lips, "Yeah, that's kind of a big one you missed."

Stacy chuckled in response, "I know. Again, so sorry."

The short brunette shrugged, "It's no big deal. So what are you all doing in Sergio's room?"

Stacy smiled at her friend and said, "Well Aaron and I just rushed over here as soon as we heard Mark was okay. Did you want to come?"

"No, it's almost curfew. So you were saying?"

"Ah, yes! Well Alex isn't here in his room so we thought that maybe he and Cherri met up again after his battle with Riley."

"I don't know, maybe. When was the last time you saw her?"

"About an hour ago."

"Well she came to the room like twenty minutes ago so she might've been with him for a little bit before coming here."

At that moment, the bathroom door opened and Cherilyn stepped out with a veil of steam following behind.

"There iz nothing like a hot shower before bed," she sang as she walked across the room to toss her dirty clothes in the hamper. A pink towel was wrapped around her head for her golden locks to dry and her rose-colored night gown swayed with each motion.

"Well there she is. You can ask her yourself, Stace."

"Ask me what?"

Cherilyn stepped behind her roommate and peered into the tiny screen to find Stacy's face. Suddenly, multiple other faces appeared and that's when Sergio commented, "Hey, Cherilyn. Nice gown." She saw Mark quickly look away from the screen, afraid of embarrassing or insulting her by seeing more than he should.

The tiny blonde wasn't revealing much but instinctively wrapped the cloth over her cleavage and crossed her arms. With a blush, she shouted, "S-shut your face, pervert!"

Sergio stuttered, "I-I'm not a pervert!"

Addison scoffed, "Right. And your eyes just happen to magically lock onto Lydia's chest every time she passes by?"

The others laughed aloud at the red spreading across Sergio's cheeks.

Kari added "You tell him girl!" which made Addison blush a little, herself.

"C-can we _please_ focus here?" Sergio stammered impatiently.

Cherilyn stifled her laughter by clearing her throat and asked, "So what iz it you wanted to ask me?"

"Did you meet up wit Alex after you left us?" Aaron asked.

The blonde shook her head, "No, ze last time I saw him was with you."

"So let me get this straight," Sergio cut in. "Alex has no phone. No one knows where he is. And it's almost curfew. What the hell is he up to?!"

"Maybe he really did go catch a Pokémon to get off the island," Kari cut in.

Aaron shook his head, "He already caught one earlier bawt it's just a newborn Wooper. He can't do much wit it. I think he'll show up soon."

"Yeah, hopefully." Sergio looked down at the screen and said, "It's getting late so we'll let you two go."

"Bye!" the two girls said – one with more energy than the other. Those on Sergio's side said their goodbyes as well before the screen turned black.

* * *

Kari stood up from her spot on Mark's bed and said, "I should be going."

With a hug, Mark told Kari, "Try to get some rest, alright?"

"Okay," she whispered softly. It was barely audible but Mark heard it clearly.

Kari, Aaron, and Stacy excused themselves and walked back to their respective rooms, leaving Mark and Sergio alone in their room. When the door shut, an uncomfortable silence set between them and neither one knew how to break it. Sergio simply went to lay on his bed with his laptop while Mark decided to read his assigned reading from his World History class.

It was not long before ten o' clock rolled around and both boys were well aware that Alex was still not home. Randy would soon be passing by their room for a routine room check which only caused anxiety. Mark was continuously tapping his pencil while Sergio resorted to peeling the skin from his lips. When a few knocks reached their ears they both stopped and shared a look. It was most likely not Alex or he would have used his key. They'd been frozen long enough for there to be another knock so Sergio stood from his bed and walked to the door. Randy stood on the other side with his key raised to unlock the door.

"Alright, you know the drill. Come sign your name on the sheet."

Mark approached the door and signed his name after Sergio did. Deciding not to dance around the topic, Sergio blatantly said, "Alex isn't here. We don't know where he is."

Randy groaned, "Seriously? This is going to be a pain. You sure you don't kn–"

"No."

"Alright, we'll just have to send out patrol for him on the island. Geez, what is it with you guys getting lost this weekend."

Spitefully, Sergio remarked, "Right, because we intentionally got attacked by a Gyarados."

Slightly startled, the RA grumbled, "I didn't mean it like that. Watch your tone when you talk to me or I'll write you up."

Sergio was not intimidated but remained silent all the same. Mark shut the door once Randy left and returned to his textbook. Ten minutes passed by and the duo began to fidget solitarily. When the longs hand hit the four, Mark began pacing around the room and Sergio played with a tennis ball by throwing it against the wall. By forty minutes, both boys had grown so anxious that they remained absolutely still. Only their strained breathing penetrated the excruciatingly painful silence.

Out of desperation to alleviate his anxiety, Sergio slammed the ball against the wall as hard as he could, leaving a small crack. He stared at the jagged line intently while Mark watched him in silence, too afraid to say anything. Sergio was clearly upset and handling his emotions in his own way – peeling his lips, talking back to authority, damaging property. He needed some way to release his tension. Mark feared that Sergio would take it out on him. For that reason and that reason alone, he remained quiet and never turned his back to him.

With one long release of his breath, Sergio relaxed his muscles and lied down. He threw his blanket over himself and announced, "I'm going to bed. Good night."

Mark watched Sergio for several more minutes until the silver-head started snoring. Feeling more at ease, he turned back to his book and continued reading well into the night. He needed to keep himself occupied for the time-being.

* * *

A couple hours of flying and surfing with small breaks on islands that were on the way brought Alex and Jarrel close to Moonlight Island. They could see it off in the distance, displayed proudly in the moon's afterglow.

"Woah!" Alex spoke into his Pokégear. "I can see it as clear as day!"

"That's why it's called Moonlight Island."

"Hehe, right." He pet the top of Charizard's head and said, "See that? We're almost there! Sorry for working you so much."

His fire lizard merely snuffed some ember and continued his flight. He would never show it to the brunet but his wings were aching from overuse. Riptide too was getting tired but he did not have to work as hard as Charizard did.

As they neared the island, a small cluster of ships appeared, scattered around the island.

"Stop!" Jarrel called.

Alex reacted by pulling his Pokémon's shoulders to make him stop. As they hovered in place above Jarrel and Riptide, Alex and Charizard saw the older boy intently watching the boats. They were large – too large for a simple search and rescue. Perhaps they were cargo ships? This troubled Jarrel because proceeding would put them at risk but there were no nearby islands for Alex's Charizard to rest at.

Left with no options, Jarrel said, "Alright Alex, you're going to ride on Riptide's back."

"What? Why?"

"You see those ships over there? Well I've got a bad feeling about them and the only ways around them are from above and from below."

"Then I'll just have Charizard fly over."

"Take a better look at your Pokémon."

When he did, Alex realized that his Charizard's back was hunched and his wings were flapping more slowly. They were incredibly strained but the fire-type would never admit it, not even to himself.

Jarrel continued, "He won't make it over the ships and onto the island."

"So we're both going to ride your Samurott? It doesn't look like he can carry both of us."

"No, I have a Pokémon that I can use to fly over the ships."

He tossed a Pokéball into the air and called forth a dragon with obsidian fur around each of his three necks. His scales flared into collars for each head, with the middle one being the largest of the three. The indigo scales on its back reached his toes and the tip of his tail.

"Woah! That's so _cool_!"

Jarrel's face was consumed by an arrogant smirk. As much as he disliked the boy, praise was always welcome.

"Hyperion, down here." The dragon lowered himself and kept steady while his trainer mounted his back. "Alright, get on Riptide."

Alex had Charizard descend until he was about ten feet directly above Riptide. While on the lizard's back, Alex retrieved him with his Pokéball and landed right on the Samurott's back. Upset by the rough landing, Riptide roared in anger and shook the boy off.

"The hell are you doing?!" Jarrel shouted.

Poking his head from underneath the waves, Alex rubbed the saltwater out of his eyes, feeling the irritating sting in his eyes.

"That did not go the way I planned it," Alex admitted.

"Just get on Riptide's back and let's hurry. We ain't got all night."

"Right." Alex put a hand on the water-type's coarse, wet fur and got on his back. Riptide wasn't pleased with this arrangement but did as his master said. He knew he could get away with _accidentally_ tossing Alex off his back on the way.

Ten minutes and thirty barrel rolls later and the duo neared the ships. Alex saw Hyperion's shrinking shape as he rose high into the sky but was unable to see anything when Riptide suddenly plunged them both underneath the waves. The brunet soon felt the furry form escape him, rushing through the ocean with ease. Feeling the boy's grip release, Riptide circled back around and scooped Alex up. The two shot through the water, making it unable for Alex to shut his eyes. The emerald spheres became accustomed to the burning sensation but a new discomfort presented itself when he felt his chest began to tighten.

Alex was running out of breath so he pulled on the Samurott's fur to get his attention. The sea otter continued without even flinching and the brunet could not see through the dark water. His chest continued to tighten but there seemed to be no end to this ride. Alex had a lot of stamina and resilience from his evening runs but it was still a limited resource that eventually ran short. Unable to bear the pain, his mouth opened and water rushed into his pleading lungs. Having not received the air that he so desperately needed, his head began to spin and consciousness fled from him. Everything had been black before but now, he wasn't aware of it.

* * *

As Hyperion lifted him higher above the ground, Jarrel began to understand how the island earned its name. The full moon high above him shined brightly but this light was strange. As opposed to its mystic white gleam, there was a tint of pink in it which puzzled the third-year to no end. At first he thought that it was just his imagination but as he stared at it, he realized that the color only grew stronger. What concerned him more was Hyperion's rapid loss of stamina as he began struggling to stay in the air.

"Hyperion, what's wrong? We've only been up for a couple minutes."

The dragon could only respond with grunts and pants so Jarrel ordered, "This is high enough. Just get past these ships, okay?"

All three heads nodded and the scaly beast pushed himself to fly over the ships and onto the island. They barely made it to the shore when Hyperion crashed to the ocean water with Jarrel right above him.

Jarrel's head poked above the water as he yelled, "Hyperion!" and scrambled to his Pokémon. "What happened?" he asked.

Even Riptide, who apparently had already reached the island, swam from the sandy beach to check on his teammate. All the Hydreigon could do was pant heavily so Jarrel returned him to his Pokéball. "Don't worry, we'll get you checked out as soon as we get bac–"

A bright light shone from one of the cargo ships directly at Jarrel.

"This island is a restricted territory. Stay right where you are," ordered someone over the intercom.

Forced between staying to be taken back to Star Academy or continuing this journey that he started on, Jarrel chose the latter. He quickly mounted Riptide to reach the shore and returned the sea otter once they were on the sandy beach. Engines roared behind him, most likely from speed boats but Jarrel just focused on what was in front of him. He climbed the sandy slopes until he reached the trees and bolted through them to escape capture. Once inside, he brought out his Manectric and hopped onto its back, knowing well that the electric-type could get him much farther than his legs could.

When they reached a safe distance from the shore line, Jarrel recalled his lightning dog so that he could rest in case of another escape. Now able to think clearly, Jarrel looked around and cursed underneath his breath. Alex was nowhere near him and he couldn't even remember if he was at the shore with Riptide.

In need of answers, Jarrel called his Samurott back out and asked, "Where's Alex?!"

The water-type shrugged.

"What do you mean you don't know?! Was he with you when I reached the island?"

He shook his head this time, making the trainer groan.

"You mean you lost him while you were swimming?"

Riptide nodded.

With a shrug and a smug grin, Jarrel responded, "You know he could be dead, right?"

Shrug.

"Yeah, you're right. He _should_ have held on tighter. We're came here for only one thing anyway. Those ships are going to be annoying, though. Hopefully we don't run into those people again."

* * *

Silver eyes cracked slightly, glimmering in the morning light. Cherilyn was facing her room's white ceiling – one she'd seen many times before. She continued looking with a blank expression until it settled that she was awake and that she needed to begin her day.

Cherilyn managed to force herself out of bed but groaned when she reached the restroom mirror and had to see the wild-haired ogre staring back at her. Her blonde locks were crinkled and tangled, her eyes drooped over the wrinkles underneath, and her complexion was dry and pale to the point of cracking. With a sigh, she grabbed her bathrobe and walked towards the shower to begin her morning rituals. An hour later and she emerged from the restroom in her pink robe as radiant as she always portrayed herself to be to her classmates.

Stepping back into her room, she found Addison sitting on her bed with a towel in hand and a small sheen of sweat coating her tanned skin. She wore a pair of running shorts and a T-shirt, telling Cherilyn that the brunette had just come from her morning run.

"Good morning. Did I keep you waiting long?" Cherilyn asked.

"No, I just got here a few minutes ago. Do you mind if I take a shower?"

"Yes."

Addison locked eyes with her roommate and the two glared at each other with killing intent. The brunette shrugged and walked towards the restroom.

"'Kay," she said, nonchalantly.

Cherilyn giggled before going to her closet and opening the wooden gates to her wardrobe. With countless articles of clothing shoved into a tiny closet, Cherilyn fought her way through them all until she found exactly what she wanted to wear. While she changed, her Holo Caster buzzed but she waited until she was fully clothed to look at it.

The message she received left her wide-eyed and she could not look away. It was from Stacy to let the blonde know that Alex never returned to his room the previous night. Why didn't he show up? What could have happened to him? Was he in danger? These were only a few of the questions that ran through her head in that moment.

Her fingers rapidly pressed against the keyboard on her screen and hit send.

"Where iz he?" she asked.

"Idk. All Sergio said was that he never showed up to the room last night."

"What are we going to do?"

"Randy already filed a report so they have staff and campus security looking for him."

"I hope he's okay…"

"Me too."

Cherilyn needed to take a seat for a few minutes before doing anything else so she did just that. She rested her chin on the palms of her hands and muttered, "Que faire?" (What to do?)

Several minutes passed by while she continued letting her mind roam until Addison stepped out of the shower. When the brunette found her roommate with a long look on her face, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Alex never went back to his room."

"How come?"

"I don't know. Stacy just told me right now."

Addison groaned inwardly at what she had to do. She was bad at comforting others and normally, she'd just look the other way or leave the room to avoid being uncomfortable but it was her roommate and best friend who needed the support so she brought herself to sit beside the blonde and awkwardly patted her back. Being sympathetic was not one of Addison's strong suits.

Cherilyn looked over at Addison and laughed, "Okay, we need to work on that. It helped me feel better but not in the way that it should have."

Addison huffed, "Whatever, it worked. So what now?"

Cherilyn stood up and stretched her legs by standing on her tiptoes. "We get some breakfast. We'll be able to come up with a plan with ze others once we've eaten."

"Plan? Shouldn't we just let the school handle this?"

"They're busy looking for Rafi so we should handle looking for Alex."

"Yeah, that's not going to fly with admin."

Cherilyn pouted, "It iz wishful thinking, I suppose."

"No more princess movies for you." Addison put an arm around Cherilyn and led her out of their room.

* * *

"Spearowwww! Spearowwwww!"

Alex awoke to the distant Spearow caws that rang through the dense vegetation that surrounded him. He still felt dizzy from losing his breath underwater even though hours had passed by, something even he could deduce from the blue sky above. What he couldn't figure was why he was deep in the forest when he passed out underwater or why he was on a bed of leaves.

Whatever the reason, it did not matter because his attention was focused on the rustling leaves around him in all directions. Knowing that something was about to happen, his trainer instincts commanded him to bring out his Charizard and Pikachu.

"Both of you, stay on guard!"

His Pokémon agreed and readied themselves.

The rustling continued and now the trio could see eyes peering through the leaves. It wasn't just a pair of eyes. There were dozens scattered all around them so Charizard and Pikachu stood on either side of Alex for better coverage against their enemies.

They waited for something to come out at them but instead, a loud wail erupted from Pikachu's side which sounded like a boy yelling, almost like a gorilla. All of the rustling stopped and everything was still for a few moments. Alex was beginning to feel anxious and a droplet of sweat ran down the side of his face to his chin and fell to a tiny splash on the leaves below.

A ball of orange fur sprang from the leaves directly onto Alex's face and the boy shouted, "Guys, attack! Attack! Attack! Attack!"

Just like their trainer, the Pokémon panicked and started shooting out Flame Bursts and Electro Balls, trying to hit the small creature. It jumped off of Alex's face, leaving the attacks to barely miss the boy, and landed on the ground between the fire lizard and electric mouse.

"Chimchar!" it called.

Charizard and Pikachu recognized their friend and halted their next attacks. Alex lifted himself off the ground and yelled excitedly, "Chimchar!" He ran to the little ape to hug him but the fire-type was not warmed up to the idea of being hugged by anyone besides his master and responded with a Fire Spin directly to the face.

A hoard of monkey-like Pokémon dropped from the trees on all sides, prepared to attack while the brunet rolled on the ground to put out the flames. Luckily, the last one to drop splashed him with a Water Gun attack to put out the flames. She then proceeded to do the same with the fire that started to spread from Charizard and Pikachu's previous attacks.

"What's the deal, Chimchar?!" Alex snapped.

"Alex?!"

"That voice!"

Alex turned to find Rafi, wearing nothing but a piece of cloth, running up to hug him. The two boys fell to the ground in the center of all of the Pokémon, making Alex freak out.

"Dude, you're not wearing any clothes!"

"Huh? Oh yeah! Hehe, sorry about that."

Rafi removed himself from Alex and helped the other boy to his feet.

Looking at his friends, Alex was in disbelief. "Rafi, Chimchar…You guys are okay!"

Rafi quickly pressed his finger to Alex's mouth.

"Shhhh. They'll hear you."

"Who?"

"The bad people."

"Bad people?"

Rafi nodded and took Alex by the hand. "Come with us."

He pulled his emerald-eyed friend through the trees, prompting Alex to ask, "Where are you taking me?"

"To a safe place! We have to hurry!"

Alex quickly recalled Charizard, knowing that his movements would be restricted in the trees but Pikachu chased after the duo along with Chimchar and the other apes. While running, Alex noticed that Rafi wore a piece of vine diagonally across his chest with a clear container strapped to it and inside it was Mark's egg!

"T-the egg!"

"Shhh! We're almost there! Stop!"

The duo quickly stopped running and stayed low.

"What are we–"

"Shh!"

It was silent for a bit until Alex could hear the crunching sound of footsteps on leaves and branches. The steps were accompanied by adult voices but Alex could not hear what they were saying. The boys and all of the Pokémon behind them and in the trees above waited quietly until the men were long gone. When everything was clear, they broke back into a sprint.

They started running up a hill and Alex could see rock formations near the top. When they reached the boulders, he saw a small crevice that he, Rafi, Pikachu, and some of the other Pokémon squeezed through while the rest climbed over. What was beyond those rocks baffled the emerald-eyed boy. The inside of the hill was a hollow oasis with countless Pokémon enjoying the river that passed through and bounty of trees scattered throughout.

"W-what is this place?"

With a smile, Rafi responded, "Paradise."

**POTD: With the starters for Pokémon Sun and Moon revealed, which one is your favorite? Which one is your least favorite?**

**-Rowlet  
-Litten  
-Popplio**

**I remember someone once said in a review that Rafi and Chimchar would have an island adventure. Well there you go! You were right on the money! Anyways, NOW we can get into all of the action. Jarrel backstabbing Alex, these "bad people," what's in store for Alex next chapter? Make sure to leave your comments, questions, and concerns regarding this chapter in the reviews as well as your answers to the POTD and I'll get back at you all soon. Legacy, out!**


	12. Announcement

**Announcement:** Hey everyone, this isn't a new chapter, just an announcement. Now for the past few year or so, I've been constantly promising that updates would start picking up but I couldn't find the motivation to keep writing. I believed that if I said that I would start writing more, I would but I was wrong. Instead, it's come to this and to top it all off, I have been dishonest with you all. You see, one reason I stopped updating is because I made a second account by the name of Katon Dragonfly. I felt incredibly guilty for starting and abandoning new stories but I had so many ideas that I wanted to do so I hid behind another account and just like all my other stories, I've abandoned them as well. I think that my time on FF as an author is up because I can't get myself to sit down and write out ideas. It wasn't until a couple weeks ago that I finally sat down to start writing Chapter 11 for Star Academy and I was doing pretty well but if I stop writing for the day, I don't return to it for like a month and that's not a healthy writing habit. I just feel like all of my writing has reached redundancy from my vocabulary to the plot lines and characters that I use. As I said, I started Chapter 11 so I will post what I've written so far but it is complete just so you guys can get an idea of where the chapter is heading. I won't be writing any more but I welcome any and all questions regarding plans I had for my stories on this account, especially if you're just dying to know what Alex's team is at the end of the story. I will be accepting questions as reviews and through PM and will answer them as QA's on this story. With all that said and done, Legacy, out!


	13. Star Academy - The Remaining Story

**Star Academy – The Remaining Story**

**Hello everyone, this is the last story-related update that I will supply you all with. After speaking to Zlaxe, I've decided to allow him to adopt Star Academy and have given him a lot of freedom in how he tells the story. Now I didn't think that I would give this story up for adoption but I feel that it will be in good hands with Zlaxe, especially since he knows everything that I had planned for it. That being said, you guys will get to see how the story plays out in Zlaxe's perspective but I feel that I am unfairly robbing you all of the full experience so here it is: "Star Academy – The Remaining Story." This will include all of the major plot points that I had planned for the story so I hope you all enjoy.**

**While reading through this, I advise that when you come across something that mentions a previous event that you aren't sure if I mentioned before in the summary, you don't go searching for it. It won't be there. The reason for this is that I am including details that pertain specifically to whatever I am talking about at the moment. There will be some details that I omit from (spoilers) the attack on SA in the Moonlight Arc but will bring up in later arc summaries. Just keep reading and let everything sink in.**

**Unfortunately support characters that haven't been revealed yet won't get their spotlight so I will provide a list of all of the characters that were submitted and who submitted them after the story summary.**

**Moonlight Arc**

On Moonlight Island, Alex and Rafi go to investigate some strange camps to find Jarrel being taken prisoner into one of the sites. The two launch an attack on the camp with the help of Simipour and her tribe of monkey Pokémon that gives them enough time to escape with Jarrel but at the cost of many of the monkey Pokémon, including Simipour, being caught. The sailors had taken Jarrel's Pokémon so he has to depend on Alex and Rafi for protection when pursuers begin battling them – one of them deciding it would be a fun idea to use Jarrel's fully-evolved team of Pokémon against the two first years. Dr. Boykin, who had snuck onto the island rescues the three and after getting Jarrel's Pokémon, they all flee the island, managing to destroy one ship in the process.

Upon returning to the island, Dr. Boykin and the students report to Professor Cedar who expels Alex for disobeying orders. Jarrel's wealth protected him from expulsion but not from restricted access to his Pokémon, starting with the confiscation of his Samurott and Hydreigon. When dismissed, Alex returns to his room to tell Mark and Sergio the bad news when the sailors from before arrive on Star Island and begin attacking buildings. All of the students are instructed to take shelter and all but a few students follow orders. Alex, Mark, Kari, Sergio, Aaron, Stacy, Cherilyn, Addison, Vera, Riley, Chelsea (a character not yet revealed but mentioned through description), Raven, Jarrel, and Felix stand against the sailors to fight them off. Among the sailors is Misael, the gang leader who attempted to violate Raven and Addison, the former of which gets revenge against him by defeating his large, mutated Ariados in battle with her Pawniard (with the help of Alex and his Charizard).

As the police arrive, the battle turns in favor of the students and faculty. The sailors decide to flee rather than risk being captured. Only a few are arrested, including Misael, for interrogation and the police chase after the remaining assailants. With SA severely damaged, it is forced to temporarily close and all students return home, many of which transfer out of the school to another. One of these students includes Addison who transfers to Trainer High (the location of the story _Trainer_ _High_ by Kashimo's Comet). Seeing as the school is destroyed and he is expelled, Alex decides to go home to Kanto to continue his journey but not before inviting Mark and Sergio to tag along. Sergio declines, saying he'd like to study the giant Ariados in Professor Sycamore's lab. Kari goes in his place, excited to see a new region having travelled all over Sinnoh already.

Before Mark leaves, Jarrel demands for the egg back, which was still intact after all of the commotion, because he had found a "better" breeder to raise it. Mark felt that this would mean he would no longer have to deal with Jarrel so despite not wanting to leave an innocent Pokémon with such a dangerous trainer, he relinquished possession of the egg and left with his friends to Kanto.

**Kanto Arc**

Arriving in the Kanto airport, Alex, Mark, and Kari are picked up by Alex's mom. The three decide to stay at Alex's house for a few days, though Alex wanted to set out immediately upon landing. While there, they meet a young boy, named Jackson, who challenges Alex to a battle with his Butterfree but loses. Before leaving, he tells Alex that they are rivals and that he will win over Kari, whom he developed a crush for. For the next month, the trio travels around Kanto visiting many locations around the region. This annoys Alex who just wanted to battle the remaining three gyms but Kari reminds him that they are visiting the region and want to see all of it. Alex refuses so their first destination is the Saffron City gym where Alex suffers a crushing defeat by Sabrina who dismisses him as nothing but a child. Realizing his impatience, Alex agrees to travel the region to get stronger before challenging Sabrina again.

The trio visit many places including the Pokémon Tower, the power plant, and many of Kanto's forests and caves. While in the region, Alex's Pidgeotto evolves into a Pidgeot and he manages to defeat Sabrina his second time against her. From there, they go back to Vermilion City for a small festival and afterwards, while sleeping in Alex's living room, the three begin to talk about their personal lives. Mark tells Alex about his sister, Sarah, and how she passed away in a forest fire near SA 7 years prior. Kari mentions that she really looked up to Sarah with admiration though chose not to be a trainer like her to pursue her own goals as a performer. She doesn't consider herself anywhere as talented as Sarah was in battle, something she let hold her back from becoming a trainer.

While in Alex's home city, the trio meets a man willing to take them to Cinnabar Island free of charge but on route he tries to leave them stranded and take their belongings. They manage to fight him off but are left stranded with Mark's Prinplup being the only water-type large enough to ride to Cinnabar. Fortunately for them, an older bald man approaches them, asking if they need any help. Defensive after what just happened to them, the three prepare to engage in battle and the old man attacks them with his team of fire-types. After being defeated, he reveals himself to be Blaine, the Cinnabar gym leader and awards the three with badges despite Mark and Kari explaining that they are not trainers.

The next destination is Viridian City so Alex can earn his final badge but on a visit to Professor Oak's lab on the way to Viridian City, Oak tells them that SA has reopened and that Cedar has invited Alex back because of the heroism that he displayed during the invasion in the previous arc. Despite the good news, Oak also tells Alex that he will be kept under a watchful eye and have limited freedom while on the island. With that, he, Mark, and Kari buy tickets to Crescent Island though Mark and Kari decide to stop by in Sinnoh for a few days to visit their parents before heading to SA.

Unfortunately, this gives Mark's parents the opportunity to make him stay at home. Hearing of this from Kari, Alex begs Oak and Cedar to pay for a ticket to Pastoria City, where Mark lives, to try and convince his parents to let him return. Sergio also stops by Sinnoh on his way to SA, having paid the difference of his ticket out of his own pocket. The rest of their friends offer to fly to Pastoria as well so when Alex, Kari, and Sergio tell Mark's parents about this, they understand that they would be wronging their son by forcing him to stay and against her fears, Mark's mother gives him her blessing. His father, on the other hand, decides to make Mark prove that he deserves to study at SA by challenging him to a battle. Despite him being a breeder and knowing that his dad just wants him to be a trainer, Mark accepts and in a heated battle, Mark's Geodude evolves into a Graveler and his Prinplup is able to defeat his father's Bibarel. With both his parent's support, Mark returns to SA, continuing his specialty as a breeder.

**Citadelle Arc**

Many students return to SA once the damages have been fixed in the dorms and most of the classrooms though construction continues for several more months. The attack scared some parents into transferring their kids to other trainer schools or even academic schools, Addison being one of these students. With less students, the campus feels a lot lonelier but this also makes it easier to manage the curfew after Cedar had made it clear that being late to curfew would result in instant expulsion.

With Addison gone, Cherilyn starts to feel a little lonely without her roommate/best friend around so she decides to spend more time with Kari, and by extension Alex. This was also a way for her to get close to the boy for whom she was positive she'd developed feelings for after he'd saved her from a group of sailors during the attack. Around this time, Alex also gets paired up with Kirsty for a class assignment, something he dreads as she hardly does any work when they meet up for the project. "I'm supposed to be the one who relaxes while my partner does all the work! I'm turning into – into a nerd! Like Mark! Or Kari!" (Direct quote from Alex complaining to Aaron and Cherilyn in the presence of Mark and Kari).

Another important event that occurs is the arrival of the headmaster and several trainers and coordinators from Citadelle, SA's rival school from the Kalos Region. Citadelle is a school that does not allow students in on scholarships or grants so all of the students that attend come from wealthy families. It is because of this that the students are reputed as rude, snobbish, and arrogant, qualities that are actually true of many of the students that attend Citadelle. These students would have been submitted from readers therefore no interactions between them and SA students had been conceived of yet. The only interaction thought of was between the level-headed Cedar and the arrogant, yet calculated Headmaster Leonardo Dupont, a rivalry that has existed for years.

Dupont comes to ridicule Cedar for the catastrophe that occurred and thought it best to arrive while SA was rebuilding than when it had just fallen to make a public event of his rivalry with Cedar. He proposes a "warm-up for the Aurora Conference" between Cedar's best trainers/coordinators and the students that arrived with Dupont and to make it a televised event. Cedar refuses to participate but Boykin and Beatty advise him that by winning, the world would see that SA is force to be reckoned with. Dupont expects Cedar to change his mind and the SA headmaster does so, accepting the Kalosian man's challenge on the condition that his students are given time to prepare. Dupont agrees because by not allowing this condition, he gives Cedar the chance to use excuses to justify SA's defeat. For the time being, Cedar welcomes the Citadelle students on campus, allowing them to stay on dorms though the majority complain about the less than desired conditions, opting to stay in the fanciest hotel on Crescent Island instead.

Cedar picks six students for the battle: Jarrel, Felix, Vera, Stacy, Hajime, and Carol (the latter two had not been featured yet). In preparation for the upcoming battle, Hajime is sabotaged but no one can prove that it was the Citadelle students so Cedar has to find a replacement. Stacy and Vera recommend Alex because he's the strongest first-year they know. The brunette eagerly accepts and begins training with the two girls who recommended him.

Around this time, Jarrel asks Kari on a date and the two start a relationship. This is not the only budding relationship, however. It never crossed Alex's mind that he and Kirsty would become close as the two begin talking to each other about their personal feelings such as their dreams, interests, and hobbies once they had gotten past the initial conflict stage of their partnership. Cherilyn notices this so her flirting becomes more obvious and blatant in an attempt to win Alex before he gets too close to Kirsty. It's also important to note that Cherilyn is given a temporary roommate from Citadelle whom she begins a friendship with.

During all of this, Kirsty discovers that Kari had been working at a café on Crescent Island to pay for her tuition and board and begins to make fun of her because Kari had always told everyone that she got in on a scholarship. Until this point, Mark was the only one who knew but Kirsty began spreading this information around. Kari's friends reassured her for this but realized that she cared too much about what people thought and attributed this to her dating Jarrel whom the others were beginning to see as an unlikable boy.

As the date for the match nears, the Citadelle students strike again but Felix catches them and manages to severely cripple one of their Pokémon teams. Dupont uses this as leverage to slander Cedar and SA's name but Cedar remains level headed as he handles a press conference. Ultimately, the two reach an agreement to only use five members so Cedar has Felix resign knowing that not doing so will look bad in the eyes of the public.

Another important event to occur just before the match is Sergio overhearing a video conversation between Mark and Jarrel while the silver-haired boy is in the restroom. Sergio confronts Mark about this who reveals that he'd been bullied this whole time. Sergio forces Mark to tell everyone but Mark refuses to let Kari know, worried that she would choose Jarrel over him. After Stacy slaps Mark for thinking this, she reassures him that Kari would never abandon their friendship for Jarrel. When Kari does learn about the bullying, she marches right up to him and his friends with her friends close behind and dumps him in the middle of the cafeteria, exposing him to everyone as a bully. She threatens him to never get near Mark again and the rest of her friends also warn him that they'll act if he continues to bully Mark. By this point the egg had already hatched so Jarrel sees no reason to continue his relationship with Kari or bullying Mark.

The next day, the battles begin with Stacy easily overwhelming her opponent with her Mega Altaria. Carol, who had been training with Sergio to learn how to Mega Evolve her Gallade, was not able to achieve it in time and lost her battle. Jarrel also loses his against a student who originates from Alola with exotic and powerful Pokémon that he cannot counter. Vera manages to win her battle, leaving Alex to face off for the finale and in a close fight, he and Charizard manage to pull through, denting Dupont and Citadelle's pride in the process. That same night, there is a festival in town to celebrate SA's victory and Kirsty comes to steal Alex away from his friends. As the two enjoy each other's company, fireworks set off and the two share their first kiss which marks the beginning of their relationship.

The Citadelle students soon leave along with Cherilyn who had been coaxed by her temporary roommate to study in Kalos. With Addison gone and Alex taken, she feels that she needs a change of pace so she says goodbye to her friends and wishes Alex the best before setting off with her new classmates.

**Terrorist Arc &amp; Island Voyage Arc**

Whereas the last arc ended with the departure of a major character, this one starts with the introduction of a new one, Lola Coy. The name may sound familiar and it should if you've read DJTiki's _Estino Academy_. Many students have left SA to run away from their problems and Lola is no different because she leaves EA after a catastrophe occurs in that region similar to the one that had occurred in the Moonlight Arc at SA. It's difficult to describe when the Terrorist Arc would end and the Island Voyage Arc would begin as the main events of both arcs tend to overlap so this could be considered a mega arc.

Lola quickly meets and befriends Alex and Sergio who invite her to join their group later on so that they can welcome her to SA. She finds it easy to get along with everyone with the exception of Kirsty whom she constantly butts heads with. All seems to be going right for Lola but that changes when a small group of terrorists from her home region follow her because of the knowledge she holds of their plans. The group attacks her and her new friends while they are at a mall on Crescent Island. The students fight back with their greater numbers, making the attackers retreat for now.

Not much of this arc was fleshed out but I had decided that this would be the arc in which Alex and the others visit many of the islands in the Milky Ocean as part of a student-run campus patrol force comprised of Alex, Mark, Kari, Stacy, Vera, Riley, Chase, Raven, Hajime, and Chelsea. Some of these islands include one plagued with everlasting rain, one with a withered garden, a prison island similar to Alcatraz, one with a burned down laboratory, and one inhabited by a powerful Garchomp unlike any other. Things that I had decided include:

1) Alex, Mark, and a few others find a coded journal with a damaged Pokéball attached to the bookmark.

2) Sergio deciphers much of this journal while the school technician fixes the Pokéball to find a Gengar inside.

3) The Gengar possesses a Gengarite on his headband and it turns out that he belonged to Sarah so Mark keeps him though Gengar does not respect him at first. When Sergio recites a quote in the journal, Mark is positive that it too belonged to Sarah.

4) Sergio begins teaching Mark about Mega Evolution along with Carol, who at this point had Mega Evolved her Gallade. Mark does not accomplish this before the end of the arc.

5) Alex's Charizard is killed by the rock/dark-type delta Garchomp, leaving him out of commission until a battle with a persistent Treecko and a talk with Aaron inspires him to continue on.

Sergio gets closer to figuring out the entire contents of the journal, which include a detailed log of Sarah's adventures through the islands as well as a conspiracy that she was mixed up in. She wrote about strange mutated Pokémon similar to the enlarged Ariados and the delta Garchomp and that experiments were being conducted on Valor Island. The remaining pages were torn out but by traveling throughout the islands, Alex and the others find many of these pages scattered and bring them to Sergio so that he can piece everything together. Spring Break approaches so many of the students leave SA to attend the Aurora Conference but Sergio remains on campus to use the resources available to him to continue working on the journal.

**Aurora Conference**

Every year, five schools (Star Academy, Glade Academy, Estino Academy, Trainer High, and Citadelle) meet on the peak of Mt. Aurora in a far off region where they are represented by their students in different battle formats (3 v 3 singles, 6 v 6 singles, doubles, and multi-battles). The plot of this small side arc was not fleshed out as none of the authors involved have gotten far enough in their stories at the time that I am writing this to really plan out the events that would take place. We did decide that some students from Citadelle, still upset by their loss against SA, decided to try and harm the SA students but that was about it. Each author involved (myself, Heart of the Anime, DJTiki, and Kashimo's Comet) would write in first person from the perspective of their main protagonist (Alex, Rain, Walter, and Beau, respectively) so the reader would have to read each point of view to see the whole story. The only interaction that was decided was that between Alex and Lola. At this point, they'd gotten incredibly close so they share a kiss, which leads them to question the status of their friendship. By the end of the Aurora Conference, Alex breaks up with Kirsty because of his feelings for Lola though they do not get together.

**Delta Arc**

Not to be confused by the Delta Episode in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, this last arc is named as such because the main focus is on delta Pokémon as Alex and the others finally solve the mystery behind these genetic experiments described in Sarah's journal. Like the Island Voyage Arc and the Aurora Conference, this arc was still in conception so many details weren't fleshed out. The first chapter of this arc is an exception, however.

The first chapter would take place during the Aurora Conference and would follow Sergio as he wrestles with the cryptic meaning behind Sarah's coded writing. One late night, he stays in the library going over and over the contents without much progress. There's a book title that is referenced in the journal that Sergio goes looking for which contains accounts of professional trainers from a decade prior. He finds that Dr. Boykin used to be a trainer, one who would not switch his Pokémon out for a team that was bred with perfect natures and move sets, leading to an embarrassing losing streak that made him end his career. Something Sarah wrote about a man with both knowledge and power resonated in him and he realized that Boykin wanted to create his own "Perfect Pokémon," leading to the creation of Pokémon like the large Ariados and the delta Garchomp.

As he walked back to his desk, he could see Boykin standing over the annotated journal, flipping through the pages. Sergio decides to leave to try and get into contact with someone but no one is inside the library. That's when he hears footsteps approaching and knowing that it's Dr. Boykin, he scrambles to leave but not before writing in the book he held and placing it on one of the many shelves. He then tries to leave the library to get service on his Holocaster to get in contact with authorities until a Flamethrower from Boykin's Torkoal causes him to stumble and drop his device. Next, a Mightyena begins charging towards him so without enough time to pick up the Holocaster, Sergio begins to run. He calls out his Sandslash to fight but Boykin's experience and Mightyena's strength result in a quick battle. Continuing to run, Sergio finds himself in a computer lab where he manages to send a vague message to Raven consisting of letters and numbers. A Pin Missile from Boykin's Cacturne hits Sergio on the shoulder, causing him to fall to the ground. Determined to escape, he jumps out the window only to sprain his ankle and dislocate his elbow. The only thing he can do now is try to swim to Crescent Island because he didn't have the time to search for someone on Star Island. As he reaches the shore, he calls out Slowbro and hops on his back in an attempt to get away. The chapter ends with Boykin releasing his Sharpedo into the water and a fast jet of water running towards Sergio and Slowbro that results in a huge eruption of water.

After returning to SA, Alex and the others are informed that Sergio is nowhere to be found though his Holocaster was cracked and burned, showing signs of a struggle so the police are looking for him. When she checks her email, Raven sees the message Sergio had left for her and after showing it to the others, Kari says that from the format, it's most likely a book. Raven goes to check it out but the librarian cannot find it so the entire group starts looking through every book until they find it. A letter falls out, telling them that Dr. Boykin was behind the experiments and is the reason for both the genetic experiments and Sarah's death. The group quickly tries to show this to Cedar but are intercepted by Levay who tries to defeat them himself but is outmatched and outnumbered even with his enlarged and enhanced Pokémon. Levay runs off but not before revealing that Sergio was killed and both he and Boykin leave the island. Cedar is informed and the search begins. Alex and the others go against Cedar's orders and search for them themselves.

During their search, Alex and Mark find one last journal entry on an island that leads them to the prison island, Mazmaurora, where they meet an inmate by the name of Jonathan Iniesta, a former teacher at SA. The boys find Iniesta's cell and speak to him through the window. It is at this point that he reveals to them that he was Boykin and Levay's partner and that he had taken the blame for Sarah's death out of loyalty towards Boykin. As the years went by, he came to regret this but Boykin was gaining scientific and altruistic recognition so claiming him guilty would fall on deaf ears. He knew Boykin to be a very calculative man, anyway. Mark forgives Iniesta for his sister's death and the boys are discovered by guards so they use Mark's Graveler to break the cell so Iniesta can escape with them. When Houndoom are released to chase and kill them, Iniesta sacrifices himself so the boys can escape safely.

Alex and Mark meet with Kari on Crescent Island but soon the city is under attack by delta Pokémon. The group begins to fight them off until reinforcements arrive and tell them to go stop Boykin and Levay, whom are discovered to be on Valor Island. As they reach the docs, Stacy stands in their way, tired of seeing them risk their lives. She tells them to try and escape the area and allow the professional trainers and league authorities to deal with the crisis. Kari calls out her Piloswine and tells Alex and Mark to continue on. As the boys leave, Kari and Stacy begin their battle and a colliding attack between Infernape and Mega Altaria causes a nearby trailer to fall and crush Stacy's body from the chest down. Filled with guilt, Kari begins to cry but Stacy, who realizes her friends' determination, reassures Kari that she was in the right for sticking to her conviction. Aaron and Vera arrive in time for Stacy to pass and the two remind Kari that there is still work to be done. The three regroup with everyone else and they begin a war against the army of delta Pokémon with Crescent Island as the battleground.

On the way to Valor Island, Alex tells Mark that there is something he still needs to do so he takes off in another direction without explaining himself. Alex arrives on delta Garchomp's island so that he can face it one more time. In this battle, he uses his newly evolved Sceptile to defeat and capture Garchomp and heads to Valor Island to regroup with Mark.

Mark had continued on to Valor Island and this time, he discovered that a new lab had been built underneath the old one. He encounters Levay and begins battling him with Alex arriving just in time to help him with Levay's last Pokémon. Boykin has his Mightyena kill Levay for his failure and retrieve the body. Afterwards, he begins battling against both Alex and Mark until they wear him down to his last Pokemon which is a normal-type Haxorus with several plates hanging around his neck. Having read about the Alolan Pokémon, Silvally, Boykin created his own mini Arceus in the form of a delta Haxorus who easily manages to push the boys back to their last Pokémon: delta Garchomp and Gengar. Delta Haxorus manages to overpower them both until Mark and Gengar's anger against Boykin for Sarah's murder boils to the point that they achieve Mega Evolution using the Keystone that Sergio had given him. Delta Garchomp and Mega Gengar are able to overpower delta Haxorus but Boykin has one last trump card up his sleeve. A beam of light erupts from his machine and a liquid flows into a vial. Having used Levay's blood in a serum filled with Pokémon DNA, he injects himself with it and becomes a Pokémon/human hybrid with more than just two types as he displays the ability to use a variety of moves including fire, flying, dark, ground, grass, bug, and dragon. With this new power, he's able to easily overwhelm Alex and Mark's Pokémon and even has the power to warp space and time, bringing them all to Crescent Island. He calls upon the delta Pokémon that he released into the city and uses some grass-type move to create vines that erupt from the ground and absorb their energy. It takes the collective efforts of Alex and all of his friends to finally defeat Boykin when his energy output becomes greater than what his human body can handle.

After the battle, there comes a period of mourning for those killed in the disaster, reconstruction of the cities, and reflection by the people involved. Cedar flees, ashamed of his inability to stop yet another catastrophe. SA closes down and everyone returns back home. Alex asks Mark and Kari if they'd like to return to Kanto for his last badge and the Elite Four but the two decide to return home so Mark can participate in the Sinnoh gym challenge. Alex decides that he'll finish up in Kanto and head over to Sinnoh to tag along and he parts ways from them.

**Epilogue**

After defeating Blue in Viridian City, Alex reaches Victory Road where he meets Chayton who had been trying to get into the E4 all this time but was unable to face them. After taunting Alex, the two begin a battle to settle their last one in which Alex manages to win with his team of Alolan Raichu, Pidgeot, Quagsire, Sylveon, Sceptile, and Delta Garchomp. With the reveal of Alolan Raichu, I had to give it to Alex and the explanation that Alex gives Chayton is that Pikachu's parents were brought over from Alola which is why he evolves to be an electric/psychic-type rather than a pure electric-type. Alex had gone to Professor Oak, confused by this so this was the conclusion that he reached. After defeating Chayton, Alex had earned his respect and the large young man steps aside for Alex to continue on to battle the E4.

**List of Submitted Characters**

(Let me know if you have changed your penname so I can write your current name.)

**Students**

Aaron Chancler – Shujinko  
Addison Elizabeth Bryant – callofduty1944  
Alaina Spencer – Shinymudkip  
Carol Minaya – PokeFreak45  
Chase Kelder – grimbutnotalways  
Chelsea K. Jasper – Hermosa Tragedia (as of right now)  
Cherilyn Esme Beauregard – Legolas Dragon Ranger  
Daniel Lyall – W.R. Winters  
Felix Monkswood – reven228  
Galen Busto – The OC Maker  
Hajime Kazahana – LuciferXIII  
Isolde Blackwood – InariKurenai  
Jarrel Carrera – X3rn345  
Kaine Sparks – ShadedLyht  
Kirsty Mira – Vioet  
Kordell Young – The Saiyan Sage  
Lennie Mary Darren – ThiefofStealth  
Lola Coy – DJTiki  
Martin M. Heider – neaucleareactor5  
Rafi Hircus – Condor-K  
Raven Archer – Heart of the Anime  
Riley Bosque – Hermosa Tragedia (as of right now)  
Stacy Ivoran – DJ Tiki  
Vera Blake – Limeade Space Doritos

**Teachers**

Alexander Querrero – Prince of Light  
Ashley Cavendish – Limeade Space Doritos  
Cecilia Nicole Bennett – callofduty1944  
Damon Drake – W. R. Winters  
Phillipe Harry Weston – OPFan37

**Well that's absolutely everything that I had planned for this story. So…let me know what you guys think about it all. I know that it would've been amazing to bring this plot to life especially the parts towards the end that go deeper into the mystery. I know that the Kanto Arc and Citadelle Arc can kind of be considered filler though I felt that these arcs contained important events that shaped the protagonists' outlook on things. I went back and forth with how I wanted the plot to go but if I were to ever revisit this story, this is more or less how it would turn out. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed and I actually have a proposal for you all. If enough people would be interested in this, I will open a forum specific to Star Academy so that you all can discuss and maybe even do a roleplay or two where you pilot characters already in my story and even new OCs in day-to-day adventures for the students at SA. It's just an idea I had so I'm throwing it out there for anyone that would be interested in helping me create it. That's probably all you'll hear from me for a while but as far as I have planned, this will be my last update for this story. Legacy, out!**


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